A Crossing of the Ways
by JewelValentine
Summary: Xover HPYYHYGO, AU bc of HBP. As teachers, the ReikaiTantei and Everyone'sFavoriteDuelists dutifully spend a year preparing the next generation to take over the job of saving the world and find some students more experienced than others.
1. Portals

**Authoress Notes That May Be Skipped Without Great Consequence **

Yami is referred to as Atemu in this story because, quite frankly, it annoys me to refer to him as Yami when there are _other_ "Yami's" in the series. They'll still refer to each other as yami and hikari, though.

Key for Mind Links is as follows:

Yugi/Speech/

Yami/Speech/

Ryou: _/Speech/ _

Bakura: _/Speech/_

* * *

_**Portals**_

* * *

/Yami…./ Yugi blinked slowly through his sleep-induced haze/Wearing a hole in the floor isn't going to solve the world's problems. Have you been up all _night?_/

Atemu's ears pricked at the sound of his hikari's voice. /Gomen, Yugi. Did I wake you?/

Yugi felt a wry grin tug at his lips as he softly shut his eyes again. /Hai. Well, sort of. I guess I'm worried too./ He sighed. "It's been too quiet around here lately."

Yugi felt Yami shift back into the puzzle. /The problem is larger than just that, aibou. You've felt a dark presence lingering – as have I. This does not bode well./

Yugi rolled over to face the wall. "Hai, but that doesn't mean you have to always stress over it, especially when it's so _early_. It'll come to us when it's ready. And we'll find a solution, just like we always do, right Yami?" He turned again to fix the puzzle with a puppy dog stare that would _force_his dark to get some rest, regardless of whether or not 5000-year-old spirits genuinely required anything of the sort.

/Hai, aibou,/ responded a now-serene Yami. He chuckled softly. /Now go back to sleep. I'm going to explore the maze again./

'The maze', as it had been so fondly deemed, was the collection of twisted stairways and corridors in the spirit's mind. It brought Atemu tranquility to wander the hallways, and if he was at peace, Yugi's peace of mind generally followed.

Yugi closed his eyes again. /Alright, just don't get lost, please. You're the only one who can avoid those traps, you realize./ he said sourly.

/Isn't that the entire point of possessing traps?/

/….Possibly./ Yugi shifted again, denying with his entire being that the sun just might be coming up over the horizon. /What do you think is coming after us this time/

/_…._/

"Yami?" Worried, Yugi sent a projection of himself into the puzzle, staring around him in bewilderment.

/_…._/

But all Yugi felt was an empty space where his darkness had been not seconds ago.

"YAMI!"

* * *

Ryou awoke with a small start. /_Bakura? Did you See that?_/ 

Cursing could be heard from within the Ring as Bakura the oh-so-graceful thief tumbled off his soul-room bed. /_See what, you worthless little ahou?_/

Ryou scoffed quietly. The Thief King had changed for the better since their expeditions around Egypt had begun. No longer did Ryou have to worry about being hit with knives or Shadow blasts from every direction, and Bakura's threats had diminished to just that – threats. Which were actually quite affectionate, at times.

/_That woman, represented by….a glitter-ey insect? She was being chased by something…something dark._/

Ryou felt the sarcasm drip along their link. /_Could you be a little more vague for me, light?_/

Ryou blushed softly. /_I'm sorry, Bakura. I can't get much more._/

Bakura, now fully awakened by curiosity, materialized out of the ring. "Alright, baka, let's see what this is all about. Clear your mind, please."

Ryou complied quickly – he had learned long ago that when Bakura dealt with his prophetic dreams, it was best to do as asked, and quickly, especially if Bakura thought it important enough to include a 'please' in his vocabulary.

The thief king gently touched Ryou's temple and, softly humming, began to search through the boy's thoughts. Flashes of light could be seen, but no more. But there was, underneath it all, a small vibration of….

"Modern magic?" Bakura whispered softly. "Maybe….but it seems to be…weakened somewhat from ours."

Ryou lifted his head as he felt Bakura's presence retreat from his mind. "Can you track the place it's coming from?"

Bakura smiled and flipped a stray lock of hair from his face. "But of course, my dear Ryou. I am the King of Thieves, am I not?" His smiled quickly morphed into a smirk, however, as he calmly stated, "And as soon as my hikari has the presence of mind to find a shirt, we can be on our way."

Ryou glanced down at his bare chest and blushed fiercely. "Right then. I'll just slip something on…."

* * *

Bakura, now well into the next room, grinned as he heard Ryou move towards the closet door. 

"Bakura! What did you _do!_ Everything's….it's all…. _leatherized!_ You horrible little thief! Where's all my old stuff?"

'Wait for it…." Bakura told himself quietly.

"…Is that SPANDEX?"

"Damn straight," muttered a gleeful thief.

* * *

The first thingAtemu noticed was the odd pulling sensation somewhere at the back of his head. It became stronger, more insistent, and he could eventually hear….chanting? It reminded him of an odd Sci-Fi movie he and Yugi had watched – without Joey's commentary included in the background. 

Then suddenly, in a swift series of jerking motions, he was transported straight through a black abyss – the Pharaoh instantly recognized the comforting feeling of the Shadow Realm around him.

Drawing the Shadows close, he waited. Resisting the Shadows when they were so insistently pulling him towards a destination could result in complications that were….rather unhealthy.

In a smooth flowing stop, the Shadows announced silently to their master that the destination had been reached. They veiled him faithfully from the view of the people below.

Atemu turned his eyes upon the scene below him, crimson eyes glowing like embers. In the middle of a forest clearing, a pack of ten men, all dressed in matching black cloaks, surrounded a broken woman crying on the ground.

"Again." A cruel, cold voice hissed from the surrounding trees. "And finish her."

The men lifted their arms simultaneously, revealing long shafts of wood, and together chanted a single word.

"_Crucio!_"

Screams exploded from the woman, her back arching and her body writhing from intense pain. Eventually, the screams died, but her mouth remained open, vocal cords straining to continue the sound.

The shadows writhed restlessly around Atemu, whispering that the woman did not deserve a fate such as this. Whispering words about justice, truth, and honor.

Atemu's eyes flared up, fire surrounded by eyes perfectly outlined in kohl for a truly intimidating illustration. The Pharaoh stepped out from his veil of Shadows, voice cold and deathly precise as he stated five words. "You. Will. Not. _Harm._ Her." The Shadows wrapped themselves around their master, feeding off his anger and power.

Atemu, feeling the Shadow's support, allowed them to quickly wash over the men in fierce wave. As it hit each man, they flinched and screamed, quickly falling to the ground, trapped in their worst memories. The Pharaoh dispassionately noticed that a few even pointed their odd sticks at _him_, mumbling something akin to '_Expecto Patronum_'.

But the odd silver creatures that were born from the words simply turned on their masters once they were summoned.

Atemu smiled as he watched his Shadows play. For something so dark, they were quite innocent. They almost reminded him of his aibou…

Yugi. Yugi would not wish him to hurt these men. With an audible sigh and a touch of regret, he reined the Shadows back in, just as the last man fell to the ground.

* * *

/_Ahou? Where, exactly, are we going again?_/ 

Ryou sighed, rather exasperated at this point. It had been enough trouble convincing his yami that the jet was, in fact, _not _going to kill either of them, steal their valuables, or crash into an ocean. /_England, yami, we're going to England. The spot you pointed out on the map. The one you _insisted_ upon visiting._/

/_Right. Though I still don't see why you wouldn't let me move us through a Shadow Portal._/ The disgruntlement was portrayed clearly through their link. /_It would have been faster!_/

'Not to mention more dangerous,' Ryou whispered to himself. /_Are you saying you're afraid of a flying hunk of metal?_/

A mental spluttering was heard. /_I…what? You! Of course not!_/

/_That's what I thought._/ Ryou radiated self-assurance as the plane glided smoothly onto the runway. Finally, he was home. No more sushi/_Welcome to London, yami!_/

/_Focus, ahou. We're here to find something, not take a….ummm….._/

/_Vacation? Yes, I know, Bakura. But still….it's nice to be home._/

Ryou felt a shifting from within the ring. /_How rare can they make my steak?_/

Smiling, he replied /_So rare you can hear it moo._/

/_I think I'll like it here._/

* * *

Any good? Horrible?

Yes, I know this was just mainly YGO characters. I promise good old YYH will come in later ones. I'm just having issues getting them all together.

This one amuses me highly enough that I think it'll keep going! YES! And actually plan to _post when I'm supposed to._

Plan to, anyway.

Ja ne!


	2. Mortals

Thank you all for the lovely reviews! They made me smile…..

And, as a key:

Yugi - /Speech/

Yami - /Speech/

Ryou - /_Speech_/

Bakura - /_Speech_/

And once again, I (Most unfortunately!) Do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, Harry Potter, or Yu Yu Hakusho. But I'm working on that!

* * *

**_Mortals _**

* * *

Gathering his composure for the worst, Atemu strode towards the figure on the ground. As he knelt down beside her, she felt his presence and twitched violently. Her eyes flew open as he gently touched her shoulder.

Composing a calm and reassuring face, he muttered, "You're going to be alright. Just stay still."

She smiled and grit her teeth against the pain. "I am not. You know it as well as I do. Please…" she fumbled towards a pouch connected to her hip, and Atemu stayed her hand and removed it from her belt. "Take these letters and d-," she gasped, breaking off her breathy sentence.

Yami spun around just in time to see a spiked vine heading directly for his back. Strengthening his shield of Shadow Magic, he watched as it bounced off harmlessly, inches from his face.

"Who **_are _**you?" A silken voice hissed from somewhere in the surrounding greenery. Atemu belatedly realized the position he was in – surrounded (enclosed, really) by thousands of concealing trees and shrubbery. The menace of the foliage was almost tangible.

Not the best place for defending oneself.

"I," he announced to the dark greenery, "Am Atemu, Master of the Shadows. What business do you have attacking me?"

He sensed a rustling from the nearby woods, and sent the Shadows in small bursts to find his attacker. Darting quickly, they moved east, west, south, west again, and finally congregated in the north.

Smirking and turning to face his enigma, he stated clearly, "And I believe I shall now take my leave of this bloodbath. Until we meet again," and melted back into a portal, confident the woman would be taken care of. He'd felt a layer of honor on the silken voice, and had no worries as he transported himself back to his aibou's room.

Sure enough, as the last bit of him disappeared, a lightly built, red haired demon bounded out of the nearest tree, green eyes flashing as he tucked a rose seed back into his hair.

"Sprout-san?"

* * *

Ryou sat on the other end of a compartment from Bakura, watching his yami amuse himself with darts of Shadow Magic. The fact that he had no board to play it with seemed to be of no consequence – Bakura would never miss anyway.

Ryou rolled his eyes as the thief king completed a complicated sequence of throws that looked suspiciously like a beheaded Atemu, recalling how they had ended up on a bouncing train in the first place.

* * *

/_Bakura, you realize you're at a train station, right?_/

/…/

/_Bakura?_/

/_…Maybe the ring's malfunctioning?_/

Ryou groaned and earned himself a few odd looks from people around him. /_There's no way we'll find anything here._/

/_Just keep walking, ahou._/

/_What, into a wall?_/ Ryou was quite sure his yami had lost his mind.

/_If that's where the Ring points, that's where we go._/

/_You're kidding me, right? _Please_ tell me you're kidding!_/

/_Do you want me to take over?_/

/_I am _not_ bloody letting you run my body into a wall!_/ Ryou scuffed his shoe angrily against the too-clean pavement.

Bakura took slight control over Ryou's right arm and placed one hand on the wall. /_It's not _actually_ a wall, Ryou. Think of it as….a Duel Monsters illusion._/

/_Which is especially comforting when you factor in that the Duel Monsters came to _life./

* * *

Bakura growled as the train came to a screeching stop – the motion had made him mis-throw and a dart had ended up landing in his hikari's hair.

Though the girlish squeak he had emitted was rather endearing.

/_I heard that, you horrible baka._/ Ryou pouted adorably from his side of the room, and disappeared into the Ring, leaving Bakura in charge of their body. /_Now go make a dramatic entrance, will you?_/

/_Will do._/ And Bakura sped off, adding some extra magic to the ends of his cloak to add just a bit of extra lift, and henceforth, extra intimidation.

* * *

'Life,' Kurama mused, 'Is a very strange thing.'

After rushing to the help of the crumpled woman, (Whom his plants had informed him had the name of 'Sprout') he had realized something fundamental.

The woman was going to die.

Masking his horror with the sweetest face he could muster, he crouched next to her, whispering words of courage. Her eyes were closed in a rather eerie sort of way, and as he fussed over her (Why did this woman bear no true _wounds_? _Something_ should be outwardly wrong with her!) he saw her face break into a painful smile.

"Stop it," she had croaked out, "You're not going to save me. Just take the letters in my bag and….make sure they get to the right people."

As she took her last breath, Kurama made the silent wish that Botan could make her smile again.

Shaking off the memory, Kurama stared waspishly at the letters in his hand. 'These are the kinds of things that made you stop believing in coincidences' he thought, seeing the first and foremost letter had been addressed to him. The two of the three underneath were addressed to Hiei and Yusuke, respectively (it was going to be hell giving them those letters, he just knew it!), but the other one….

Who the hell was Yugi Mouto?

Kurama guessed he should tackle that first.

* * *

"YAMI!"

Atemu phased into a room quite unlike the one he had been summoned out of an hour or so ago. Clothes littered the floor, Yugi had managed to overturn the bed ('What the…?'), and….was that the _door _lying on the carpet?

The Pharaoh had almost decided on taking a Shadow Portal to a safer place (A lava pit, perhaps?) when his aibou's eyes landed on the ancient spirit.

Yugi, torn between grief and anger, launched himself at his yami. Atemu cringed and prepared himself for the worst (Puppy eyes! Enraged glomping! Such things were not dignified for a pharaoh to fall to!) when he was saved by his aibou suddenly tripping.

Over a spiked vine?

The dark spirit's eyes flew open, and with a small "Eep!" (Which he would _never_ admit came out of him) blasted the vine with a rather explosive bit of Shadow Magic. His muscles tightened, and he spun around the room, looking for the strange attacker.

"Hey look! A letter!" squeaked Yugi into the hard-wood floor, holding up said parchment.

'Sometimes,' Atemu mused, 'My aibou forces me to redefine the meaning of the word 'dense,'' staring in horror at what Yugi held in his hands.

"'Mr. Yugi Mouto and Company,'" read Yugi, oblivious to his darker self's looks, "'Due to your knowledge of obscure magic, you have been invited to teach the Defense Against the Dark Arts curriculum at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.' Do you have any idea what they're talking about, yami?"

/Not one idea, aibou. Though I don't particularly like the idea of being addressed to as 'And Company'./

Ignoring the spirit's disgruntled aura, Yugi continued reading. "We await your owl or your presence no later than _August first?_ Yami! There's no way we'll get there by then! Today's _August second!_"

Atemu fixed his light with a hopeful look. /Does that mean we don't have to go?/

Yugi looked horrified at the very suggestion. "Of _course_ we're going! How could we not? These people might need us! We'll just….have to go see Kaiba! There! That's the solution! Maybe with time zones or something…." Yugi continued his rambling as he grabbed a coat and fled out the door, his other half highly unamused with his fate.

/Oh yes. Piss off the highly imposing CEO. There's a winning game-plan./

* * *

_**Reviews **_

* * *

Thank you to…

**Frosty Vermillion Petals**, **Green Phantom Queen**, **Kale**, **Flamethrowerqueen**, **Everyone's Anti-Valentine**, **PenPusherM**, **Sphinxfox/Lori Kimaya**, **Neko-Chibi-FaithKitty**, **Crazy Hyper Lady**, **Anonymous**, **ComputerFreak101**, **Fanfic Maniac**, **Fatti**, **LadyKatsu**, and **Chara13**.

Ja ne!


	3. Mansions, Castles, and Thieves

Sugoi – Wow

Pocky – Type of Japanese Candy

((Blah)) Yami to Yugi

(Blah) Yugi to Yami

-/Blah Bakura/- to Ryou

/Blah Ryou/ to Bakura

(((SCSCSCSCSCSC)))

/Sugoi…./ whispered Ryou as they neared the castle, /It's so….big!/

-/Sharp as always, I see. The palace was better./-

/Shush and let me gawk in peace!/

Bakura rolled his eyes and scanned the building in front of him. Sending out spurts of Shadows, he directed them to find the person of 'highest rank'. As they gathered in a room towards the center of the castle ((('Only fitting, I suppose,' thought Bakura))) the thief assessed the door.

"Hmm….warding spells, locks, a few curses….oh, those look fun…..right then!"

A blast of magic soon had the door swinging on its hinges in a rather undignified manner.

"Lead on, my friend, lead on."

/Bakura….you're talking to the Ring again./

-/I can do what I want!/-

/The psychologist said that was bad for you mental health! And mine, come to think of it…./

-/Too bad./- With a downward mental gesture, Bakura cut the link and continued stalking towards the gathering of Shadows, blasting at a lone cat with glowing red eyes on his way.

He soon reached an imposing statue (((Was that a gargoyle? Weird….))) and laid one hand on it's oddly scaly head, whispering the word "Pocky".

It swung wide to reveal a spiraled staircase, glittering in a golden light. Bakura snorted as he bounded up the stairs, not at all impressed with the castle's theatrics. When he reached the top, he stopped to glare at the door until it opened of it's own accord, allowing him entrance inside.

He glanced around, keeping his posture straight and forbidding, and spied a man with the _longest_ white beard he had ever seen.

Striding confidently inside, he announced in a clear voice, "Someone is in danger here."

The man chuckled softly. "Aren't we all, at some time or another, in danger?"

-/Stupid old cryptic fool…/-

/I kind of like him….he could match you for mysteriousness!/

-/Could not./-

/Could so./

-/Could _not_!/-

Dumbledore watched as the white haired teen that had suddenly appeared before him (((In his _office_, no less!))) went rigid and seemed to have a mental battle with himself over a bit of information, oblivious to the rest of the world. Chuckling merrily to himself, he lifted himself from his chair and glided towards the albino.

When Bakura came out of his trance, the first thing he saw was the batty old man peering into his eyes, much to close to the thief's 'personal bubble'. Smoothly jumping back a pace, he hissed out through gritted teeth, "What the _hell_ was that for, you old fool?"

Smiling in an infuriating manner, Dumbledore waved his wand, making a chair squirm out of the wall. "Hello, my name is Albus Dumbledore." The mocking politeness made Bakura's eye twitch. "Please, sit. I insist."

Bristling, Bakura took a step closer towards Dumbledore. "As the King of Thieves, **_I_** must insist that you – "

A scream was heard somewhere above them, interrupting Bakura's threat. Whipping around to follow the scream, he turned harshly to Dumbledore. "Well? Are you coming or not?"

(((SCSCSCSCSCSC)))

The scene that greeted their eyes was not a pleasant one.

The stench of death was almost palpable, even before Bakura reached the room. As soon as he smelt it, he shut off all senses his hikari had of the outside world. He was the light for a reason – and light, in Bakura's opinion, should only be tainted by _him_.

As they opened the door, a sickening sweet scent filled the room – incense, determined Bakura. Nothing in the room had been disturbed, but one body lay on the floor.

Though covered by layers of glittering clothes, the blood covering the figure was thick and in great quantities, and not yet dried. "I guess we found her…."

His eyes were drawn to the walls, where great, wide strips of blood still ran down the walls. A solitary drop of blood fell on Bakura's outstretched hand, and horrified, he looked to the ceiling. A mural had been painted in yet more blood, depicting a serpent coming out of an oddly distorted skull, with an almost life-like quality. The entire thing was overlaid in a green, sparkling haze.

Bakura heard a brief curse to his right and saw Dumbledore looking up.

"The Dark Mark."

Another man (later Bakura would learn his name to be Professor Vector) chose this time to climb into the room. With a quick glance upwards and to the four corners of the room, his knuckles turned white. In a quick, babbling voice, he announced, "Professor Dumbledore sir, please accept my resignation. I'll be gone by next week!"

He promptly fainted to the floor, falling off the ladder while Bakura scoffed one word.

"Wuss."

(((SCSCSCSCSCSC)))

Flitting through the city, Kurama felt that the papers in his hand had suddenly gone thicker. He grumbled, stopping his flight to stand at the base of a tree for a short rest.

Finding Yugi Mouto had not been the easiest of tasks. Though the boy lived in Japan (((Thank goodness for that – Kurama didn't know what he would have done had the boy lived in some foreign country.))) Domino City was, quite frankly, one city Yoko Kurama had never stolen from.

And one city Kurama had never been to.

As he had entered the city, however, the letter began to strain against the hold Kurama had on it. It glowed an odd green color, and then actually _flew_ out of his hand.

Intrigued, Kurama had been obliged to follow it. It streaked into a lower level room of the 'Kame' Game Shop (((A turtle? Why would you name a shop after a _turtle_, of all things?))) and landed on the floor. It had centered itself between to figures, one of which Kurama recognized.

The odd man from the forest.

Kurama watched as the Egyptian turned in horror to find a doppelganger of himself dashing madly up to him (((Did the shorter version just shout 'Dark'?))) and on a whim, tossed a small seed into the room, quickly growing it to the size of a small log. He saw the smaller twin trip, and the larger make a rather undignified squeak, blasting at his poor vine.

Chuckling quietly at the memory (((Kurama would tease the Egyptian mercilessly if he ever had the pleasure of meeting him again.))) he turned to the newest letter. It was addressed to a 'Seto Kaiba and Mokuba Kaiba' of 'Kaiba Mansion'.

Kurama resolved he'd tackle this in his Yoko form, and quickly set off back towards Domino.

(((SCSCSCSCSCSC)))

Everyone reading! I NEED SUGGESTIONS FOR PAIRINGS!!! Also, I need opinions on whether or not to make this shounen ai/yaoi. Don't kill me for mentioning it, please.

Shakes head No, PenPusherM, FB does NOT stand for foxy bishonen.

Chelley Angel, PenPusherM, Sugarpony, Frosty Vermillion Petals, and Summoner of Spirits13619, thanks so much for reviewing! And 3 cookies to the last 3 that guessed correctly! Runs off to oven They're a little burnt….but I'm sure the chocolate will still be edible…..

Sugarpony – Yami's soooo whipped. Utterly and completely. And I've tried the other ones, but mysteriously when they come up on the site, they don't exist! Poof! Gone! Oh well…..

Frosty Vermillion Petals – The letters weren't owled because I had to find SOME way to kill Sprout….and having both her and Trelawney killed in the castle seemed odd. I'm gonna say for true story reasons that the owls won't fly that far when witches can just apparate, and it's so close to beginning of term (I'm still finding my way out of the plot bunny hole of Mokuba getting his acceptance letter when the teachers haven't yet chosen books…..) that they needed to get there faster. I think.


	4. Unlikely Teachers

Translations:

Chibi – Ummm….those cute little bouncy things that are the lighter, rounder sides of our favorite bishounen

Kame Game Shop – For you poor dubbed people ((I'm one of them….)) it's Yugi's Grandfather's store. It can also be translated to the "Turtle" Game Shop.

((Blah)) Yami to Yugi

(Blah) Yugi to Yami

/Blah Bakura- to Ryou

/Blah Ryou/ to Bakura

Please remember:

Roses are red, violets are blue

I don't own, you don't sue.

(((SCSCSCSCSCSC)))

"SEHHHTOHHHH!" Mokuba dragged out his brother's name, bouncing happily along the beautifully furnished corridor towards Seto's room. You could almost see the chibi destruction bubbles.

Removing his glasses and turning away from the computer screen, Seto weakly called back "Up here, Mokie! In my office!"

"Which one?"

"The blue one!"

"_Which_ blue one?" A stomping was heard coming out of a nearby elevator. "Seto, they're _all_ blue!"

Cringe. "I think there's a silver one somewhere….down the hall, maybe?"

Finally determining his brother's location, Mokuba flung open the door and launched at his beloved older sibling, knocking over both him and the chair he had previously been occupying. With a small 'oof!' Seto grabbed at the nearby desk, sending papers flying throughout the room.

A nervous silence ensued as Mokuba watched the printouts slowly sink downwards. Climbing off his brother's unmoving form, his grin widened as he exclaimed, "You've got mail, Seto!"

This was not particularly surprising to Kaiba. Between business offers, colleges begging for his lectures, occasional spam (((all senders saw their businesses closed within a month))), and not to mention the _fangirls_….Well, it was safe to assume that the letters tended to pile up. Seto involuntarily shuddered. In his opinion, fangirls (((or the newly increasing fan_boys_))) were the worst form of torture known to mankind.

Looking at his brother, Seto wondered where all the _time_ had gone. 5 years past the Battle City Tournament had wrought an alarming change in the once innocent looking child. Now scant inches from matching his brother's height, Mokuba had adopted a style similar to that of Marik's – gold jewelry and bangles, low slung pants and oddly revealing shirts. He'd even coerced Seto into buying him a motorcycle (((The elder Kaiba was still unsure as to exactly _how_ he'd managed it….))). Kohl lined his eyes and his soft, bouncy locks were bound up in a ponytail, a few ends still teasing around his face. 'Dead sexy' was the term most of the girls he came in contact with chose.

Through all of it, though, Mokuba still retained a chibi-like innocence and insisted on humiliating his brother whenever the opportunity presented itself, his claim being that it 'kept his brother from turning into a zombie.'

The mail in question was shoved at Seto's nose. Staring at it in a cross-eyes fashion, Kaiba identified green ink addressed to 'Mr. Seto Kaiba and Mokuba Kaiba, Sixth Blue Office on the Left, Kaiba Mansion, Domino, Japan.'

Raising an eyebrow and snatching the envelope from his brother's hands, Seto wryly remarked, "Well, at least they're specific. You had it checked?"

"Seto, it came out of one of the rosebuds in my room. Of course I had it checked!"

"Good. Wait, it came out of _where_?"

"Those rose plants that Mai bought me. Remember? She gave them to me for my fifteenth birthday! I was watering them and one just….exploded! The bloom's about a foot wide right now….And the letter was just sitting in there…."

Seto's hand flew to his temples. Letters did not come out of roses. They just….didn't. This, somehow, stunk of Yugi and his magic lectures. Flipping out his cell phone, he dialed the local Kame Game Shop. The phone rang three times before a familiar voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Yugi? This is Kaiba."

The slamming of a door and a bit of shuffling was heard. Yugi voice grew deeper – whether Seto believed in him or not, he knew he was now talking to 'Yami'. "Kaiba. You called? My light and I were just on the way to your house." His condescending tone irked Kaiba to the bone.

"Yes I did – And this is _not funny_. I want to know just _exactly_ what you're planning!"

Mokuba saw the anger forming in his brother's features, and immediately snatched the phone from his grasp, swatting his brother over the head as he did so. "Be _nice!_" he hissed. Turning back to the phone he spoke into it. "Yugi? Yugi, are you there?"

Yami chuckled on the other end of the line and let his light take over. "Hi Mokuba! …Should we come over?"

Looking over at his brother's twitching eye as he scanned the letter, he slowly replied, "I think that might be a good idea…."

(((SCSCSCSCSCSC)))

Yami was snickering uncontrollably in his soulroom. He'd given up control again to his light long ago so Kaiba would stop _glaring_ at him. But the idea of Kaiba….

_Teaching…._

It was more than sufficient to send the normally serious spirit into gales of laughter. Something Kaiba, apparently, was not appreciative of.

The letter, upon opening, had revealed a statement not unlike the one in Yugi's own. It also included a letter of invitation for Mokuba to attend the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Mokuba, it says they want you to attend sixth year if you can pass the tests for it. You can study at Hogwarts until school starts!" Yugi chirped happily, rereading the letter.

"That would be assuming that he's _going_."

Mokuba and Yugi rolled their eyes in stereo. Since breaking the seal on the envelope, Kaiba had been especially stubborn about even considering the possibility. Mokuba was more than determined to sway his brother in the _correct_ direction, though, and the Kaiba family's stubbornness was legendary.

Admittedly, Seto put up one of the best fights of his life – it took Mokuba almost two hours of wheedling, blackmailing, and pleading (Well, not really pleading. A pleading Kaiba is just not possible, and Mokuba had learned this early in life. It was more like….a persuasive application of watery puppy dog eyes.), but eventually…

"Please? I'll….Yugi, I'm out of material."

"You'll steal one of the planes anyway and take us all there in either case?"

"Yeah!"

Kaiba, seeing that there really was no way he was getting out of this, pressed a nearby button as an intercom system popped up. Sighing, he stared pointedly at his brother and said "Ms. Hanakimi, please ready the jet."

Grinning at each other, Mokuba and Yugi tore towards the launch deck.

(((SCSCSCSCSCSC)))

OK, cookies and plushies for people (((BESIDES YOU, PENPUSHERM!))) who can figure out where I got the name Hanakimi.

Penpusherm gets a Yoko Kurama plushie anyway, just for being so nice. And some homemade horse muffins.

SilverWingPhoenix – Aww…..thanks!

PenPusherM – Ummm…Please tell me that was from the 13 hour speech meet.

ChelleyAngel – Thank you! And I'll pass that message on….

Rosedark – Yep, we're slowly getting' a plot. And thank you for the suggestions!


	5. Creampuffs, Lemondrops, and a Little Bit...

**Disclaimer:**

_I do not own the pretty fox_

_I don't have Hiei under locks_

_Yusuke darling is not mine_

_Though Katsu thinks he's very fine_

_May Botan whack you with her oar_

_If you say I own these four._

_Pharaoh, priest, or thief king old_

_Sadly, none are mine to hold_

_Yugi-tachi's oh-so-cute_

_Yet I give him up without dispute_

_CEO and all relations_

_Are certainly not my creations_

_It might be magic, it might be free_

_Or underneath a willow tree_

_But please remember, last of all_

_If under Hogwart's roof they fall_

_Roses are red, violets are blue_

_I don't own, you don't sue._

Sighs Ok, so I got a little bored and wrote a creative disclaimer. Not my fault, I swear!

* * *

**_Creampuffs, Lemondrops, and a Little Bit of Blood_**

* * *

Approaching Genkai's temple, Kurama spied Hiei in one of the nearby trees. As usual, the fire demon looked rather disgusted with life, planning the demise of whatever living organism interrupted him next. Sensing the yoko's approach, his head snapped up as he 'Hn'ed a greeting to the fox-demon. Kurama motioned for Hiei to follow him inside the temple, and the fire demon (for once) quickly descended from his perch to trail him.

An explosion followed by a string of descriptive swearwords from somewhere in a surrounding courtyard announced the whereabouts of Yusuke. The two (ex) thieves followed the noise to a rather charred clearing.

Raising one eyebrow to Yusuke's glare, the only explanation Kurama received was a shrug and a growled, "My damn _aim's_ off." The surrounding trees told them that he'd been drilling himself target practice all morning – charred branches littered the ground, and one actual target lay about 50 yards away, a blackened hole slightly off-center.

A small grin came onto Hiei's face. "I've been avoiding him all morning," he said softly. "It's like giving an untrained child a sword – sometimes their blind swings are more dangerous than that of a trained swordsman."

Kurama's eyebrow shot higher. Deciding not to question the two, he reached into the bag and withdrew the letters. "I thought we should open these together." Smiling sweetly, he passed the letters around, both his friends staring at him as though the redhead had announced that he was, in fact, a flying pink daisy, and intended to join a troupe of daffodils passing through town on the next full moon.

Kurama ignored the looks and quickly slit his seal open with a spare rose thorn, as Hiei simply remelted the wax and watched Yusuke mutilate his envelope for lack of a letter opener. They all quickly scanned their letters, and as Hiei finished, his disappearing in a wisp of smoke and charred ashes.

"The fool wants me to _teach_? Teach_ ningen children_?"

"Either of you know how the hell I'm supposed to teach Dueling, of all things? Or if I can change the name to 'Kick-Ass 101'?"

Hiei's eyes flew open, a look of slight panic on his face. "There's no way I'll teach the same class as you. Absolutely not."

Kurama tried to control his laughter, small snickers making it out nonetheless. Hiei was on the verge of murdering him (actually, he was internally choosing whether to strike him or Yusuke first…) as Botan once again swooped down on them without warning, barely missing Yusuke's head.

"Dammit, woman, I am not a fucking runway!"

Giggling, Botan shook her finger at him. "Now, now, if you don't learn manners you'll never get _anywhere_ in life, Yusuke!"

"I'm already fucking _dead_, Botan!"

Seeing the effort was wasted, Botan shook out her blue ponytail and faced Hiei. "I'm sorry, Hiei, but unfortunately, you will be teaching with our favorite Spirit Detective. Koenma's orders, I'm afraid." Her oar took her a few feet higher, sensing the fire-demon's rage.

Accepting fate (((But vowing to kill Koenma in the most painful way he could think of later))) with still slightly shaking fists, Hiei simply stated, "Hn. _Children_?" The idea of babysitting again was not Hiei's favorite – Yusuke at least had possessed _power_, but these children….

Well, they were _ningen_. Simple as that.

Cutting off Hiei's train of thought, Kurama suddenly asked, "When do we leave?"

Botan beamed. "Immediately! And I'll be joining you!"

* * *

Pacing in his office, Dumbledore assessed the situation. Accompanying him was both Professor McGonagall and the strange, white-haired man who he hadn't had the opportunity to dismiss. The albino (((who had introduced himself very politely as Ryou Bakura on the trek back to Dumbledore's office))) was now lounging in one of the nearby wicker chairs, his tongue flicking over a creampuff flecked with…. 

Blood?

Dumbledore decided he didn't want to know.

McGonagall had (((predictably))) taken an immediate dislike to the man and was sitting as far away as possible to avoid actual contact with him. She nervously folded and unfolded a paper in her hands, something an owl had delivered in a black envelope minutes before, announcing the death of Professor Sprout.

Admiring a trinket nearby, he softly said, "There must be a connection."

A snort nearby indicated Bakura's thoughts. "No shit, Sherlock."

The headmaster smiled to himself as Minerva's eyes flew open in rage, and she turned one of her infamous stone cold glares on the poor man. He flinched, and even his hair seemed to wilt somewhat, his face acquiring an expression of innocence.

And he dropped the creampuff, instead picking up a previously offered lemon drop from the headmasters desk, enjoying the treat immensely before thoughtfully restating his comment.

"Ano….what I mean to say is….well, isn't that rather obvious, Professor Dumbledore? Two of your teachers attacked in the same week, ending in fatalities. Both were women…." McGonagall's eyes flashed again, earning a cringe from the boy. He sighed and walked towards the exit. "I'll just leave now…"

The headmaster got the distinct impression that had McGonagall been in her animagus form, she would have been whipping her mottled brown tail from side to side. 'I am going to regret this,' the headmaster thought to himself.

Not taking the effort to tear his eyes away from the sparkling whirligig, he murmured quietly, "Stay, please, Ryou. We may need you after all. Taking over the late Professor Trelawney's job will not be easy, but if you feel up to the challenge…."

Bakura's hair flipped up again, ((('Curious, that.'))) and he seemed to regain confidence, striding back to the wicker chair and picking up his creampuff.

"As I thought." Bakura smirked at Professor McGonagall, positively radiating a gloating sensation.

Minerva looked ready to kill both of them, hindered only by the fact she couldn't figure out which of the males to attack first.

Both Dumbledore and Bakura were careful to put extra wards on their doors that night, before ordering extra night's supply of lemon drops.

* * *

Reviews!

First of all, I'm really, really surprised no one has tried to flame me yet. Seriously! It's kinda scary! So, in conclusion, I love you all!

**PenPusherM**: Yes, well, you've gotta love Mokie. He's just so fricken adorable!

**RainOwl**: Thanks – and here it is.

**Computerfreak101**: Good things come to those who wait – and here it is!

**Crazy Hyper Lady**: Thank you!

**Shrowded Angel**: Salutes Will do!

**Winged Moon**: Well, thank you! I'm glad to hear you think so!


	6. Solid Brick Walls

Hi guys! This is dedicated to PenPusherM because both she and I are home sick today! Wheeee!

Disclaimer: I swear upon an overdose of Halls Plus with Medicine Center and Vapor Action Cherry-Flavored Cough-drops that I don't own YYH, YGO, or HP.

* * *

_**Solid Brick Walls**_

* * *

Yugi bounced cheerily along in the London train station. He was more than happy to have escaped the jet, seeing as his dark and Kaiba refused to go within 10 feet of each other. To a light spirit such as himself, this feeling of cold, mutual spitefulness was too stifling an aura to endure for long periods of time.

Poor Mokuba had gone through the same ordeal, his mind battling between companionship for his two heroes – his brother, the hero who had saved him, or the hero who had saved his brother. He had hid it rather well, though, his head only snapping between the two a few times before settling for the on-flight drink bar.

Mokuba, deemed the most neutral – and therefore most responsible – member of the group, was handling the letters and navigation. The parchment in his hands had been rewriting itself every few minutes, giving additional instructions as they completed the last set. Scanning the newest information, Mokuba groaned. Directing the taxi by 'Left! Left again! Straight! Back up three blocks!' had been hard enough.

But now it wanted them to find Platform Nine and Four Thirds?

"Honestly!" the teen grumbled to himself, "This is getting ridiculous!"

Mokuba winced as he felt his older brother's gaze narrow at the small of his back. "What is it now, Mokuba?"

"We need to find Platform Nine and Four Thirds – by ten tonight, which, I might add, is in another fifteen minutes."

Yugi, returning from an escapade in a local gift-shop, glanced around in wonder. "That can't be right….it goes from Platform Nine, to Ten, to Eleven."

Seto's patience was by now, running thin. "Fine," he growled, "We'll just walk in between Platform Ten and Eleven." And with complete confidence and a little flair added to his stride, he walked straight into a brick wall, disappearing from both Yugi and Mokuba's sight.

Exchanging glances, the two ran behind him. "Wait up!"

* * *

Seto hadn't exactly expected his stunt to yield results – at worst, he had reasoned to himself, he would end up knocking himself unconscious and escape from Yugi's eternal cheeriness. He glared at the wall as he came towards it, willing brick to part before him. Mokuba had always sworn that his brother could glare at the clouds and order them to stop raining, so he figured it might be worth a try.

Mokuba would also swear from this point on that his brother was more sleep deprived at that moment in time than he had been in his entire life.

But as he hit the wall, no sensation of pain came, a cool sliding motion coming over his eyes as he saw nothing but the color of red brick. A small jolt went through his body and the CEO suddenly saw a sign labeled "Hogsmeade Express". A large, sinister looking black and gold train rolled into view, bearing the same label. Seto dimly registered Yugi and Mokuba bursting into the station behind him, wearing bewildered and awe-struck expressions.

Yugi was having a furious battle with Atemu to avoid sending the entire station to the Shadow Realm – during the split second they had passed through the wall, the pharaoh had lost contact with his light. He flickered between control until Yugi finally won out, regaining his cherubic form.

Mokuba recovered first – after all, it wasn't the oddest of things he'd ever encountered – and in a very business-like fashion, straightened out his shirt and proceeded to climb a set of stairs onto the train.

"Are you two coming or not?"

* * *

"Walk through the wall?" was a skeptical question.

"Bingo!" came the cheery reply.

"The _brick_ wall?"

"No, you idiot, the plastic one beside it," intruded a third, more sarcastic voice.

"The very hard, very solid, brick wall?"

"It can't be solid, Yusuke, if we walk through it," announced the voice of reason.

"Can't I just break the damn thing instead?"

"Nope! Then you'd break the barrier too!" the cheery voice answered.

"You idiot human, just walk through!" hissed the formerly sarcastic, now turning impatient entity.

"I don't see you walking…."

"Fine. Kurama, you go."

"Hiei, you're being as awful as Yusuke. And Botan's already gone through by herself." Footsteps were heard and the aforementioned voice made it's way towards the topic of discussion, sliding easily through.

Grumbling, the owner of the impatient voice strode through. "I don't _trust_ this."

The holder of the originally skeptical voice was left standing in front of a very obviously solid wall. "Here goes nothing."

* * *

"Hey look! More people came through the wall!"

Seto's head barely jerked as his brother made this observation. Once the three had taken seats on the plane, the CEO had opened his briefcase on a nearby table, opened his laptop, and discovered something horrible.

It wasn't working.

Quickly, he had checked his cell phone. Dead. Wireless communicator built into his lapel? Dead. The newest duel disk prototype? Granted, it wasn't _supposed_ to work – but it still didn't respond to any signals given, and was therefore deemed dead. And Mokuba's iPod? As a mixed blessing, dead.

Kaiba should have _known_ walking through a wall wasn't good for these things!

The appliances now lay strewn throughout the compartment, each taken apart to the microchips. Yami had taken over his hikari's body, fascinated at the intricacy in each part, trying vainly to hide exactly how _lost_ he was in Kaiba's area of expertise.

Tearing his eyes away from a rather shiny piece of something that looked vaguely important, he queried, "What do they look like?"

"Full profile, Mokie," Seto growled from his table seat, still frustrated with his machinery, and began a fast paced exchange of knowledge with his brother, having learned that Mokuba's first impressions of a person turned out to generally be true.

"Umm…First through, a woman with bright blue hair, pink kimono – "

"Odd for other Japanese natives to be here. Continue."

"Rather pretty, obviously optimistic attitude. Second through, a very bishonen type man, red hair, green eyes. Rather mild temperament, walks softly."

"A pretty boy?"

Mokuba nodded. "I first thought he was a girl – but the upper body's all wrong."

Seto nodded. "Proceed."

"Third, black haired man with what seems to be a mean streak. Carries a katana – and he looks shorter than you, Yugi!"

Seto scoffed. "It's a miracle."

"Both my aibou and I resent that." Yami had finally found his way back into the fast paced conversation, barely getting enough time to interject his opinion.

"Last through," Mokuba sighed, "Seto, he looks like a Jou clone with black hair."

"A bumbling idiot. That was the last?"

"Yes. They're entering the train now."

Yami stood, walking the few steps to the doorway. "I'll go to greet them. Something tells me that two such odd groups should meet."

"Excuse me? You're the only _really_ odd one here!" Mokuba retorted, laughing.

Yami allowed Yugi to take over. "I am _not_!" he pouted, interjecting a small dose of puppy eyes.

Mokuba laughed again. "Won't work Yugi – I used to pull that off better than you. Besides, you're the one with a _pharaoh_ in your head!"

Yugi grumbled and (((in utmost maturity))) stuck out a dainty tongue at Mokuba. As he turned to search out the newest party (((and escape banter with Mokuba))) he ran face first into something soft and pink that 'oofed' when he hit it.

As he backed away, the hikari once again cursed his lack of height – generally, when he smacked into a woman's chest, they whacked him. Hard.

And this girl was holding an _oar_, for goodness sakes!

But instead of the expected reaction, she beamed and grabbed his hand. "Hello! I'm Botan! What's your name?"

Something faintly clicked in the duelist's head – if she wanted to play like that…. "I'm Yugi! I hope we can be great friends!" broadening his smile, he shook her hand as enthusiastically as possible, dimly hearing both Kaiba and the pharaoh gagging in the background. "Would you like to join us in our compartment?"

"That would be lovely, Yugi! Guys, come here and introduce yourselves! I've found a kindred spirit!"

Three figures whisked by Yugi, skirting as far around the two as possible, just as the train began to rumble and move along the tracks.

"Kurama."

"Yusuke Urameshi."

"Hn."

Yugi cocked his head and turned inquisitive eyes towards his new friend. "His name is 'Hn'?"

Laughing bubbly, Botan shook her head. "No, of course not! That's Hiei!"

"Hn."

The red-haired Kurama spoke. "Mostly we figure that means 'yes'."

"He's a little unsociable," added Yusuke.

Hiei regarded the glass window carefully. Then, in a sudden, sleek movement, he bashed the glass with the hilt of his katana – in just the right place to make all the shards fall neatly out. As three out of six onlooker's jaws dropped, he hopped into the window, content for the rest of the ride.

Yugi, growing bored of the crisp intensity in the air, switched with his yami, just as Seto began a new range of highly descriptive expletives directed at the machinery scattered before him. Looking up, Yusuke's eyes scanned the gadgets.

"You know none of them will work, right? They've all been coated in magic."

"_What_?"

"The signals can't get through. They're blocked by magic," Yusuke repeated slowly, as if to a small child.

"Of course. Why not? Everything's got to do with bloody fucking magic now, doesn't it? Maybe….hmm….if I can just make it small enough….."

Yami sighed. "Well, you've lost every opportunity to talk to him now. He'll be immersed in that project until tomorrow, at least."

Mokuba rolled his eyes, then directed his attention back to the newcomers. "So, where did you all come from?"

A rustle of unease went through the tantei. All four had agreed to avoid telling their story unless absolutely necessary – quite honestly, how likely was it that, 'Oh, she's the grim reaper. They're the world's greatest ex-thieves. And I'm dead.' would go over well?

Finally, Yusuke emerged with an, "Around Japan. You?"

The same problem was met on the other side of the compartment, and was answered with, "Oh – the same."

The rest of the ride continued in silence, but somewhere along the line, a truce had been reached.

* * *

**_Reviews_**

**Crazy Hyper Lady**: Thank you once again!

**Inu-Ice-Dragon**: Umm…..I can do all of those except the Hiei/Kurama one, or PenPusherM and AnkaratheFierce (Whom I see nearly every day at school) will gut me where I stand. I'm not quite willing to risk my neck like that just yet. And I'll have to read up on Harry/Draco pairings to get a decent feel for them, but I'll take a shot at it!

**Utah's Shadowed Moon**: I understand! Every time I go on AOL, it kills my computer! Like, shuts down and won't let me get back onto anything! Argh! And I am updating! Don't hit me with that sword!

**Chelley Angel**: (Bows) Thank you! I like my disclaimer too! Hiei receives your opinion and gives you a friendly "Hn," for your sympathy.

**Rosedark**: I like my bloody creampuff too! Bakura may have to live on a diet of them for this fic, we'll see.

**Sugarpony**: He'll always have a big part! Him and Seto and Mokie are my absolute favorite characters!

**PenPusherM**: (Sniffs disdainfully) Fine, maybe I'll just have to chop Kurama's hair off, just for that. ((Oh, my God. I saw a fic that actually did that in all seriousness. They chopped it DOWN TO YUSUKE'S LENGTH and DYED IT BLACK. It was horrifying.))


	7. Sparkles and Thieves

Argghhh…..so many frickin' PLOT HOLES!

Yes, I'm a little frustrated. And experiencing writer's block on the next chapter. This could get a little messy!

However – Enjoy!

* * *

**_Sparkles and Thieves_**

* * *

The sun's morning rays were just beginning to break over the horizon, and the train was just nearing it's final destination. The only two that hadn't deemed the train-ride worthy of their sleep had been Seto and Hiei – Seto had become obsessed over the broken electronics, and Hiei….

Well, no one had been able to truthfully say they'd ever seen him sleep up to this point – why start now?

Without actually showing interest, Hiei had kept an eye on the sleepless ningen man all night. He was actually rather amused by the way he tried to repair the objects – and surprisingly, by morning the ningen was done. At least, he appeared to be – all the machinery was put back together, and the brunette gave a small smirk before tapping his younger sibling on the shoulder.

Mokuba blinked rather blearily at his brother, then his face lit up in a brilliant smile as he saw his brother holding the iPod in his hand. Smiling faintly back, Seto placed it in his younger brother's hands, and as he returned across the room, paused and flicked a pair of earplugs to the demon on the window, pushing a pair into his own ears.

"You may want those," Seto said softly, pulling out his newly working laptop. Doubtfully, Hiei pushed them into his ears just as Mokuba's off tune singing made a horribly effective alarm clock for the rest of the compartment.

And as the train rolled to a stop, an alliance was formed, demon to ningen.

* * *

"Sir will please follow Dobby now, yes? Dobby must take sir to entrance hall, to meet Master Dumbledore sir and go to Hogsmeade, Dobby must."

Ryou was normally thought of as a good natured, calm, and overall collected sort of boy. He'd seen all matter of Duel Monsters, from Egyptian God Cards to Kuriboh, and generally considered himself lucky to have been near those who played them.

Sadly enough, nothing had prepared him for an encounter with Dobby.

And that's was why Ryou Bakura, reincarnation of the King of Thieves, was dragged through a castle by an eighteen inch elf.

"Eep! Dumbledore-sensei, HELP!"

* * *

"You!"

"_You!_"

"Me!"

"Hi Bakura." Mokuba brushed past his irate brother and a bristling Atemu, both of which had just stepped out of the train, to give the Thief Spirit a quick hug. "Did you bring me anything?"

"**_Mokuba!_**"

"Don't take _anything_ that maniac gives you!"

Bakura's eyebrows shot up. "Atemu, darling, you shouldn't growl like that. You're giving poor Yugi frown lines. And Seto – we've covered this. I am _perfectly_ sane, thank you very much." He turned to look at Mokuba, who was now as tall as he was. "And yes, I brought you something." He snapped his fingers, and as his palm opened, two sparkly objects that looked more than slightly expensive. "New earrings. You like? They're the pharaoh's gold." A rather wicked grin was aimed at a now positively fuming Atemu.

Mokuba nodded as he hooked them in his ears, oblivious to the pharaoh's clenched fists and his brother's twitching face. "Thanks, Bakura!"

Dumbledore watched the scene play out before him. "Well, seeing that you already know each other, I suppose it's rather futile to go through introductions."

Bakura glanced towards the Tantei. "I know these three, Dumbledore, but the other four I've never seen." He stepped forward, a flourished hand outstretched to Kurama. "Ryou Bakura, King of Thieves, at your service."

The entire Tantei group flinched as one. Seeing Kurama's eyes flash gold and his mouth open, Yusuke rushed forward to avoid the spirit's impending doom and grabbed Bakura's hand.

"Hi, I'm Yusuke, this is Kurama, that's Hiei, the extremely bouncy girl with blue hair is Botan. Nice to meet you – now I'm sure Dumbledore's a _very_ busy man, so let's get this trip going!" He looked expectantly to the headmaster, hoping the man would suggest they move before Bakura was reduced to a whipped and slashed puddle of blood on the floor.

"Quite right, Yusuke. We will be taking the Knight Bus to Diagon Alley, where I expect all of you to choose your course books, have yourselves fit for Wizarding robes, and then acquire a wand." Dumbledore held out his wand arm out in a smooth, sweeping motion, and the large purple bus appeared with a loud, obnoxious bang.

Botan jumped in surprise, dashing behind Kurama. "Is….is that thing even _safe_?" she questioned from her still-livid human shield.

"As safe as anything else in the Wizarding World, I assure you. Everyone on, please."

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your hand, step on board and – Oh, 'ello, 'fessor Dumbledore. Which way 'ouldjya wanna go?"

"Diagon Alley, Stan. We'd like to go straight to Gringotts, if you would."

"Sure fing, 'fessor! Take 'er away, Ern!"

_**Bang!**_

Surprisingly enough, Yusuke was the only one thrown backwards.

"Dammit!"

"Baka. You've no balance – how do you expect to win any sort of fight?"

"Shut _up_, Hiei."

Dumbledore's eyes resumed their unnatural twinkling state.

* * *

_Enter, stranger, but take heed_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed_

_For those who take but do not earn_

_Must pay most dearly in their turn_

_So if you seek beneath our floors_

_A treasure that was never yours_

_Thief, you have been warned, beware_

_Of finding more than treasure there_

The reactions to this engraved stone were rather predictable. With three known thieves in the group, how could it not?

* * *

"Hehehe…"

"Absolutely not, Bakura."

"Yeah, 'Kura, you can rob the bank _after_ you're done teaching. But right now you're supposed to be _inconspicuous_."

"I wouldn't get caught! The King of Thieves _never_ gets caught!"

"Which is why we had a cell in the dungeons of Egypt furnished especially for you."

"….OK, so I got caught a few –"

"Thousand –"

"Times. But I always escaped!"

"Children. We are here to exchange money. Not squabble about your nonexistent past lives. Now the nice goblins are waiting to take your money and open a bank account for you. Please try to at least _act_ like normal, quiet, peaceful, _law-abiding_ citizens _for once in your damned lives._"

* * *

"Oh, _really_…?"

"Hn."

"NO! Bad youkai! No stealing! You're on _probation_ for a _reason_!"

"Botan, it's not like it'd be _hard_. Can't you feel the weakness of those defenses? And the sheer amount of _gold_ and _magic_ down there."

"Hn."

"No. Absolutely not! _Absolutely_ not!"

"Botan, you take all the fun out of life."

"Hn."

* * *

The goblin looked disdainfully at the sack of gems Bakura laid in front of him. "Do you wish to make a new account or add to your old one, sir?"

"My – what? I don't have an account here." Ryou had taken over for the courtesies, Bakura backing this decision. He'd never been much good with niceties towards other people.

The goblin blinked slowly. "Yes you do, sir. All of you do, in fact. If you were unaware of this, I suggest you follow Griphook. He'll show each of you to your vaults."

Seto decided he didn't trust anything that was shorter than Yugi. Or something that had green-tinged skin, for that matter. As he opened his mouth to object, he was rudely elbowed by Bakura, who hissed in his ear, "Are you _rejecting_ free money?"

"No, but I'd like to know _where it came from in the first place_," he hissed back.

It was Atemu's turn to intervene. "Kaiba, it must have something to do with your–"

Seto made a slashing motion with his hands to cut the pharaoh off. "If your next words happen to be 'connection to the ancient past', I'm not interested, Yugi." Raising his voice a little, he called up to the goblin, "Lead on, if you will."

At the back of the line, the tantei were having a discussion of their own.

"Kurama, where'd we get money from? Especially _here?_"

"I expect Koenma put in a bit for us, somewhere."

"And as the Grim Reaper I've had a vault here for ages!"

But after a refreshing ride down in a doubled cart, there was no doubt that Koenma had most certainly not put in quite that much for them. Hiei's vault, Kurama's vault, even Yusuke's vault – all were piled sky high with golden coins, various gemstones, and random objects that radiated strange spirit energy. Botan, being the only one not particularly impressed with the riches inside her vault, was the first to come up with an explanation.

"I think they've got most of Yoko Kurama's treasure in here. And Yusuke, a lot of this looks like it might have been Raizen's stuff at one time. Hiei…hmm…maybe the Koorime had a vault in here at one time, and it got transferred to you?"

Yusuke recovered next. "Who cares! Look at all this! I see why you guys were thieves! This is fucking _awesome!_"

Kurama turned to hiss at the Spirit Detective. "Yusuke, would you _please_ lower your voice? I'd rather not have that information spread around."

Yusuke waved him off. "Right, right. I need a bigger bag!"

Botan looked at him questioningly. "You don't have to fit all of it in one shot, Yusuke."

"But….there's so much to buy! Did you see all that _stuff_ out there?"

Kurama was there to stop him from taking the entire trove out with him. "Trust me when I say this, Yusuke. One bag will be more than enough to buy anything you want. Just take only the gold coins – you can't buy much here with jewels. And we're here partially to impress, so taking only gold is a wonderful incentive for people to pay attention."

"Vain fox. We are _not_ here to impress."

Before Kurama could retaliate, Mokuba poked his head around the corner, equipped with his own overflowing bag. "Are you four ready to go yet? You still need to pick out course books." As he said this, a golden cat statue fell from the bag.

Kurama smiled. "We're almost ready. And like I was just telling these three, you really only need to take the gold coins. They're one of the few actual monetary sources around here."

Mokuba looked at his feet. "Oh. Will you help me pick some out? Everything's rather….discombobulated in our vault. Yours actually looks somewhat organized!" Kurama nodded and scooped another few handfuls of coins into his bag, then stood and followed him a few doors down, where a room was piled sky-high with Egyptian artifacts.

"Like I said, it's a mess. I found _some_ coins, but the rest of its….well, kinda buried," he restated, bending down to remove various statuettes and trinkets from his bag.

Kurama closed his eyes and quickly concentrated on the smells of the room. There, in the far right corner, gold, a newer, cleaner scent that the rest, with a faint smell of goblin collecting over it. "Try over behind the statue of Anubis – no, the big one in the corner. I think I see some."

Mokuba trotted over, and sure enough was able to resurface with two bags of the coins. "I've gotta get one for my brother, too," he explained, "He's trying to pry Atemu and Bakura apart."

As if on cue, a cry rang through the chambers. "_**TOMB ROBBER! **You can't tell me that's not my father's crown!_"

"_Just try to get it back!_"

"_Both of you shut up and grab some money! I refuse to stand down here listening to you bicker about –"_

" _**Bakura!** Where the hell did you get a copy of the **Book of Thoth?**_"

"_Hey! That's **mine!**_"

"_Not anymore!_"

"_Will you **please** get back to the cart now? The others are probably finished already!_"

Mokuba smirked up at Kurama. "Just a typical day, I suppose."

* * *

**_Reviews!_**

* * *

**PenPusherM**: But of course! Hmph – you must not have seen my threat last chapter, otherwise you would have torn my head off!

**Crazy Hyper Lady**: Uhhh – here ya go! And thanks for reviewing the other stuff!

**Inu-Ice-Dragon**: (Reaches for crowbar) Erm….You're welcome? I like shonen ai as much as anyone! Though writing yaoi is gonna be a little sticky for me. ((That just sounds wrong…..))

**Chelley Angel**: Of course so soon! I was at home, sick_ and_ bored! Hope you like this one too!

**RainOwl**: Trust me, I don't plan to abandon this anytime soon.

**Nicole**: Hey! That's my middle name! Awesome! Thanks for the review!

**Dymond**: Aww…..I feel so loved! Unfortunately I can't do Hiei/Kurama – PenPusherM and AnkaraTheFierce will gut me alive, and I see them every day at school. I'm not risking my life just yet ((They both battle each other over the summer with pointy sticks – you should see the bruises and blood!)). But Yami/Hikari stuff is _definitely_ in store!

**Utah's Shadowed Moon**: Oh no! Why is she angry? Don't be angry! I love you! …..In a totally non-gay way!


	8. Wands and Stories

Oh jeez, I am sooooo sorry for not updating! Blame it on Mr. Eibs. No, seriously – if any of you have done History Day, you'll know what I'm talking about. I'm actually ignoring the fact that my rough draft is due Monday in favor of doing this!

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**_Wands and Stories_**

* * *

'Seeing the Grim Reaper get frazzled is one of those rare sights in life you just have to cherish…' mused Yusuke, walking down Diagon Alley. Botan had been trying to become the leader of the group – and the group, most assuredly, did _not_ want to be led. Dumbledore had disappeared upon reaching the bank, claiming he had other business. 

"All right – _all right!_ So we've all agreed _not_ to go with Wizarding robes. We've sent the _finalized,_" at this remark, Botan glared at Bakura, who had changed books three times, "Book list. Is there anything else we need?"

A babble broke out from the group.

"Dumbledore-sensei said something about getting wands, didn't he?"

"I'd like to look at pets before we go, as well."

"Knives are always an option…."

"Hn…."

"I want a broom! Did you see those _ads?_ These things are as fucking fast as Hiei!"

"They are _not_, baka."

"Let's get ice-cream!"

Seto raised his hands for silence, accomplishing the quiet that Botan had failed to gather. "Wands first, everyone. Then we can go on….side expeditions of our own choosing. Fair enough?"

A mumbled assent was murmured, and the group followed the brunette into a shop marked "Olivanders".

* * *

(((A/N: At this point, the authoress looked back at what she had written, swore, swore again, and then tried to get herself out of the mess she had just created.))) 

Heading into the shop, the first impression was that of a musty, dingy old store lined with boxes. Shelves, windows, walls, even the desk all sported large cracks running through them, giving the store a shattered, shabby look.

The sense of magic in the air was positively stifling to all the members that entered, whether they realized it or not. It was so thick that it actually weighed down the air, settling over everything like a thick blanket. An ancient looking man came out of the back rooms, carefully pushing a stray box a little farther onto the shelf as he squinted at the newcomers.

"Ano, we're here to buy wands?"

The man chuckled. "Only very rarely do people come here for anything else. However, seeing as there are eight of you, I shall have to take 2 at a time, in our back room. The rest of you may stay outside, should you wish it. If you will, Misters Mouto and Urameshi." He gestured towards a door behind the counter.

The two, only slightly jolted that he had known their names, quickly filed towards the door, leaving the other six inside the entrance.

Thirty minutes of uncomfortable silence between those left behind found the two walking back through the door, looking relieved and a little elated. As they joined their friends again, each respectively standing around the room (((No one had been brave enough to trust the rickety chair with their weight.))), Ollivander called out Mokuba and Botan. The two seemed to have hit it off directly, and walked towards the door, chatting about various ways to keep their hair in check.

"So, what's it like Yugi?" Ryou asked, sounding slightly fearful.

"Ano….it's –"

Yusuke cut him off immediately. "It's bloody cool! He hands you a wand and you wave it and _stuff blows up!_ It's like having a Spirit Gun," Kurama flinched automatically and Hiei's eyes flashed dangerously, "Without ever having to use energy! And it _blows stuff up!_ …..The old man said that wasn't s'posed to happen, but that's not the point!"

Yugi watched him with laughing eyes, not comprehending what was said. "We ended up getting these," he gestured with the wand he was holding at arms length, a flurry of sparks erupting from it's tip, "After we destroyed a few grapefruits, of course."

Kurama glanced worriedly at the sparks. "Grapefruits? And point that thing somewhere else, if you will."

Yugi nodded and complied. "There were some on the shelf. I'm not really sure why – but they're not there anymore!" He grinned. "It_ was_ kinda fun…."

"You've still got some pieces in your hair, by the way." Bakura scoffed at the two in front of him. "Though I've yet to figure out how it got there – you'd think the gel would reflect something like that."

Atemu bristled and advanced on Bakura, taking over Yugi's body for the time being, flicking a piece of the offending fruit away from his well maintained spikes as he glared at the thief. "Your point _being…?_"

Seto smirked and turned his piercing gaze onto Yusuke. "So? What are the materials?"

"Hn," added Hiei in an affirmation of curiosity.

Atemu disappeared and Yugi flickered back into control. "Oh! Mine's gold – and Ollivander said that the core was made of – what was it again, Yusuke? Oh, that's right! A hair of a sphinx tail. Isn't it cool?" He once again began brandishing what was quickly becoming deemed a dangerous weapon in the eyes of all onlookers, sending a wave of energy out and breaking a nearby window. "Oops."

"I believe I asked Urameshi."

Shift, shift, and a mumbled, "Kwanzan."

A smirk. "Would you repeat that?"

"Kwanzan, okay? Kwanzan! A stupid, fucking, showy, flowery _cherry tree!_"

Hiei barely suppressed a snicker. "What else did you get, baka? A daisy in place of your Spirit Gun?"

"For your information, it's a phoenix feather." Yusuke shoved his nose in the air for emphasis. "A blue one…."

"The irony of our situation never ceases, does it?" Kurama looked thoughtfully around the room just as Botan and Mokuba bounced through the door.

"Nii-sama! Look at what I got! It's gold just like Yugi's and it's got a red phoenix feather in it! And it only took me _one try!_"

Ollivander appeared behind him. "It's about _time_ someone in this bloody realm found their match on the first try. I've never seen something quite like that happen before." He gave a kindly smile. "Now, Misters Kaiba and Hiei, if you would follow me, we can get this over with."

The two followed him into the room, both making it all too clear across their features that the didn't need a wand, thank-you-very-much, but would humor the rest of the group for their own personal purposes of amusement.

Kurama turned to Botan, still smiling at the look that had been spread across Hiei's face. "What did you get, Botan? You seem very pleased with yourself."

Botan beamed. "I am! While Mokuba got his wand, I talked to Koenma. He insists that we tell these four _exactly_ what we're about! Won't it be fun?" She beamed again, her next comment almost lost through the outbursts of Yusuke and Kurama. "And Mr. Ollivander let me use my oar as my wand, seeing as it shrinks at need."

"Botan, we _can't!_"

"Yes we can! I already explained myself to Mokuba, and he seemed just fine with it!" She glanced across the room at the younger Kaiba brother who nodded rapidly at the last statement.

"She's the Grim Reaper, Bakura! Isn't it awesome?"

Bakura and Atemu, who had been silently watching the exchange between comrades, suddenly came to life. Atemu nodded to Bakura, who allowed the more dignified spirit to take over negotiations. "We'd very much like to know exactly what you're talking about, if you please."

Botan nodded. "Then I'll start." She took on a slightly more calm air and stated calmly, "Hello, my name is Botan. I'm the ferrygirl of the River Styx, and in many cultures I'm known as none other than the Grim Reaper. I also assist Yusuke when he gets into too much of a tight spot." She glared at Yusuke and Kurama. "Now tell them who you are or I'll have to do it myself – and I guarantee that I'll be a good deal less flattering."

A look was exchanged between the two remaining tantei, and Yusuke stood first. "I'm Yusuke Urameshi, Spirit Detective for Lord Koenma. I….well, I died, and Botan came to take me away, but they didn't have a place for me yet, so someway or another I wound up with this job. One of my first….erm….expeditions included Kurama and Hiei." He neglected to include information about Raizen, and Botan did not scold him for it, so he let it lie.

Kurama stood up when Yusuke had finished. "He met me when Hiei, I, and another demon were trying to steal the three Spirit World artifacts." Here, he smirked and let the Youko run loose a little. "You see, Bakura, _I_ am the greatest thief. What you dabble in is child's play compared to my past life." Bakura was held back by Atemu (((Barely))), and Kurama continued. "I am also known as Yoko Kurama, Kitsune and master thief of the Reikai. I was shot by a bounty hunter, and retreated to this body in the human world." He sighed dramatically and played with a stray lock of hair. "A pity, but necessary for survival, I suppose."

Atemu had finally deemed it necessary to slap a stray piece of Shadow Magic over the white haired thief's mouth, and effectively bound him to the chair with the same means. Trying to retain a small bit of dignity, he bowed to Botan. "I thank you for telling me the truth about your lives. In return, I suppose we should tell you ours."

Mokuba rolled his eyes. "Atemu, stop being so damn formal! And let Yugi tell the story, please." The spirit took his suggestion and Yugi's violet orbs were soon seen in place of the crimson.

"Umm….I'm Yugi Moto. About, ano, six years ago, I finished this." He held up his puzzle for inspection. "It's called the Millenium Puzzle. It released Atemu, who's pretty much known as the Nameless Pharaoh. We went through a bunch of tournaments that played Duel Monsters – cards like these." He shuffled around for his deck. "After a while we figured out that they come to life for people that have a Millenium Object like my puzzle."

Bakura had by now wriggled his way around the Shadow Magic, but switched to Ryou. "The same sort of thing happened to me. My father gave me the Millenium Ring, and then Bakura came. We competed in the same tournaments as Yugi, with pretty much the same results."

"Except, of course, for the fact that we kicked your butt." The pharaoh smirked at the thief.

"Atemu, that was uncalled for." Mokuba shook his head as Bakura, now in control of Ryou, stood, eyes gleaming.

"Well, perhaps, my dear," he took Botan's hand, spinning her in a small circle, "A demonstration is in order."

/Bakura, NO/

/Bakura, yes/-

* * *

_**Reviews!**_

* * *

Well, thank you to Chelley Angel, Green Phantom Queen, TJ, PenPusherM, milleniumduelist01, stinky-chan, Dymond, Utah's Shadowed Moon, Inu-Ice-Dragon, Rosedark, Crazy Hyper Lady, Miko, RainOwl, and CANON. I love you all for reviewing! I'm so glad you're all enjoying the story!

It's apparently against rules to respond to you guys inside the story (((Arrghhhh!))), so all I can do is say your names!

Ja ne and I love you all!


	9. Trigger Happy

Yo, guys. This is, unfortunately, a chapter shorter than the last by about 500 words. I'm terribly sorry about that, so if you have complaints, feel free to damn my American Experiment teacher in your review. I swear, as soon as the hell that is History Day is over, I'll be back to more frequent updates.

And hopefully, somewhere in that time I'll figure out exactly what I'm planning for a plot. Writing this by the seat of my pants just sucks.

And, as always, I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, Yu-Gi-Oh, or Harry Potter. (Sighs) Why, cruel world, why?

Oh, and stupid fanfiction has changed again, so

(Blah) - Hikari

((Blah)) - Yami

And, well, if you can't figure out who's talking by the pretenses or by their mannerism, you've gotta lot of work to do in this department. If it's really, _really_, **_really_** too confusing, then email me and I'll get it sorted out.

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_**Trigger Happy

* * *

**_

"Well, perhaps, my dear," he took Botan's hand, spinning her in a small circle, "A demonstration is in order."

(Bakura, NO!)

((Bakura, yes!))

A black mist swirled around the six, and Mokuba immediately moved between a furious Atemu and a nearly cackling Bakura, both for protection and to avoid letting one kill another.

Despite his obvious frustration in being in the realm he reigned supreme over, Atemu visibly relaxed the minute the Shadows formed tendrils around his legs. The Shadows darted from Bakura to Atemu, overjoyed at having both their masters so near at the same time.

The Reikai Tantei were having a slightly less pleasant reaction to the appearance of a swirling abyss completely surrounding them. Botan immediately summoned her oar, jumping on it and floating midair, while Yusuke spun in a tight, quick circle, arms outstretched with a Spirit Gun building. And although he still looked outwardly calm, roses in full bloom had materialized in Kurama's hands, his hair flipping in an unseen wind for a moment before resettling around his shoulders.

Appearing before them came a suit of armor, engulfed in strange golden flames. A ripping crimson cape flew back from it, and it held both a sword and shield, though strangely had no face, no helmet.

"Welcome the Headless Knight, my dear friends," intoned Bakura, bowing once more.

This seemed to set of somewhat of a chain reaction. Kurama's rose whip flashed out at the beast, just as a purple clad magician was summoned at Atemu's side. Just moments before the Kitsune thief came within distance of the Knight, allowing it to disappear into sparkling shards, the pharaoh had finished his attack command.

"Dark Magician, attack Headless Knight!"

This left Kurama in the wave of magic intended originally for the knight. He dodged easily, discovering it wasn't all too hard to find his feet in yet another situation that with no resemblance of ground beneath his feet.

"Spirit Gun!" Yusuke, however, was still altogether too 'Trigger Happy' and let out a blast of the pent up Spirit Gun at the Dark Magician.

"Mirror Force!"

Eyes wide as his own energy rebounded towards him, Yusuke let out an undignified yelp and immediately ducked. Standing (((or rather, floating))), behind Yusuke was the unfortunate Botan, who's oar was hit with the rebound, the end sizzling slightly.

Something akin to a nuclear explosion occurred, all within the Shadow Realm, which had, in fact, never heard of a nuclear explosion, but was willing to host it anyway.

"YUSUKE URAMESHI! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"BAKURA! WHY DID YOU SUMMON THAT THING?"

"YOU IDIOTS ATTACKED MY HEADLESS KNIGHT!"

"WHAT KIND OF A MORON FLINGS A ROSE WHIP WHEN ATEMU LAUNCHES AN ATTACK?"

"WHAT KIND OF MORON LAUNCHES AN ATTACK AT THE SAME TIME AS KURAMA?"

"ATEMU, GET THIS PURPLE FREAK AWAY FROM ME!"

"Hello, Hiei, Kaiba. How did you make it here?" Kurama avoided the mess surrounding him and sidled towards the two that had just arrived.

"HIS NAME IS MAHAADO, YOU WORTHLESS TOMB ROBBER!"

"The ningen's wand started glowing and we were pulled." Hiei gestured towards an almost confused looking Seto.

"YUSUKE? ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME? MY OAR IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE BLACK!"

"A useful talent, I suppose," noted Kurama, watching Botan repeatedly whack Yusuke – the oar seemed in good enough condition to accomplish that task, at least.

"TRUCE, ATEMU! …YOU WORTHLESS PHARAOH, CALL THEM OFF!"

"Not really – unless you view sucking yourself into a black void as useful." Kaiba had finally regained enough control to join the conversation.

"NEVER! What's wrong Bakura, can't handle a few KURIBOH?"

"Which it isn't. We're still technically in the waiting room, I believe."

"Ni-sama! When did you get here?"

* * *

Stupid Yugi. Stupid wands. Stupid creepy man with creepy eyes. Stupid Shadow Realm Portal.

Seto sighed – not only had he been reduced to using words such as 'stupid' and 'creepy', he'd been forced into a swirling black portal. Which, at this particular moment in time, was not the place he particularly wanted to be. Amusing as it was to see Bakura chased around by Yugi's infamous Dark Magician, he wanted both he and Mokuba _out_ of this hellhole.

So, after a quick reprieve to himself that he was, in fact, going crazy and this would all be over in the morning, he snagged the back of Bakura's shirt as the spirit shot past. While the thief still had a look of surprise on his face, he hissed a vehement, "_Stay,_" and pivoted to face the wickedly gleaming of the Dark Magician.

No one but Atemu and Bakura noticed blue and black tendrils snaking up the thief's arms and legs, binding him to the point Seto had dropped him at. The two exchanged a quick, knowing glance before resuming postures that clearly stated "I hate you, I'm ignoring you, and by the way, you're not even fit to become the ground I walk on." Their focal points turned to Seto.

"You," he spat, matching the monster's wicked gleam with his own fiery gaze, "Out of my sight. _Now._"

Atemu started as he saw his monster disappear at Kaiba's request – and did he…_bow_ to the CEO?

The pharaoh's pondering time was limited, however, as Seto pivoted again to face him. Atemu almost quelled a bit – 'I'm out of practice…' – but stood his ground as Seto sliced out his commands, the CEO coming closer with each step.

"You're taking us back. There is no time for foolish games, and for Kami-sama's sake you should be _old enough to **know** that!_ Are you a _child_? Or do you prefer to act as such merely for the sake of pretenses?" Kaiba was inches away from Atemu's face at this point, brilliant sapphire eyes boring into crimson. "Get. Us. Out."

Kurama and Bakura ruined the effect of the speech, laughing as Atemu shakily (though he'd never admit _that_) brought down the Shadows, landing them in the store where Ollivander was once again waiting at the counter for them.

Speaking through the laughter of the thieves, he announced, "Misters Bakura and Kurama? Follow me."

The laughter stopped abruptly as the two glared daggers at one another, then made their ways gracefully to the door. Both seemed to try to outdo the other – as Yusuke would later joke, moving with a covert "Sexy swinging" walk to the door.

* * *

_**Reviews

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**_

Hrrrmmm…..ya know what? I miss talking to y'all, so we're going to ignore the "No chatting with reviewers" guidelines. If I really, _really_ get into trouble, I'll repost. Sound fair?

To **Utah's Shadowed Moon** – (Laughs) Unfortunately, I do have someone like her in my head, so I feel your pain. Somehow, she just never makes it into the actual talking of the story. I've got two of them, actually….three, if you really want to get picky.

To **RainOwl** – Ummmm…..please, please, if you make me pull a Yusuke, can I at least go to Happy Anime Land while I'm dead? Pleeeeeeeeeease?

To **Crazy Hyper Lady** – I did! See? It's right here!

To **PenPusherM - **(Sighs) Do I have to? I like her thinking that you're not innocent – it brings us closer to reality!

To **Chelley Angel** – I did! And thank you – I think I rock too. No, I'm not conceited.

To **Kenmeishouri** – I didn't stop! I'm still writing! Really, I swear!

To **Rosedark** – You'll see a lot of that…..I have so much fun making them hate each other!

To **Misawa Kaitou** – Heheheh….Way ahead of you. But not in Gringotts. Well, it'll have something to do with Gringotts later, but I….damn, can't say that.


	10. Minds of Their Own

THANK GOD FOR SPRING BREAK!

No, seriously. I love this. I'm still really, really busy, but I'm free! Yay!

/Blah/ - Ryou to Bakura

-/Blah/Bakura to Ryou

Oh, right. I seem to be forgetting to do a disclaimer...silly me. But honestly people, would _you_ be posting on _fanfiction _(specifically named _for a reason,_ we assume!) if you _owned_ the _plotlines, characters, or stories?_

Didn't think so.

But anyway, as a nice gesture I will offer the Rabid Lawyers this.I DO NOT OWN THAT OF WHICH I TYPE! GET IT THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULLS AND LEAVE ME ALONE!

(Breathes deeply) On a happier note, please enjoy the chapter I have posted for both my amusement and yours.

* * *

_**Minds of Their Own**_

* * *

"Hold out your wand arm, please." 

The two thieves looked at each other. Together, they intoned, "I'm ambidextrous."

Ollivander nodded and released two separate tape measurers. They floated and snapped amongst the two, measuring arms, hands, noses, eyelashes, fingernails, nostrils, hair, and ears. Kurama swatted away his as it went for a more private area – Bakura glared at his before it could do anything of the sort. Both rolls scurried back to Ollivander's pocket, giving off a scalded, diminutive air.

The shopkeeper smiled faintly, opening a drawer the pair of devices was only too happy to return in. "Good enough. Pass these between the two of you and wave the wand _away from the other person_ – if it sets something on fire, shatters, implodes, or explodes an object, renders someone unconscious, or creates general panic, disorder, and chaos, it is not your wand and the other gets a try. You need not wave the wand more than once." He began rapidly pulling wands off the shelf, their boxes piling into a mass of wood on the counter, then headed into yet another adjoining room to procure yet another armful.

Bakura seized a box in front of him, opening it and removing the wand inside from its tissue wrapping, Kurama doing likewise. Snickering quietly, he nonchalantly waved the wand in Kurama's general direction whilst looking the other direction.

The result was startling. An enormous jet of purple light shot out from the wand, aiming itself for the unsuspecting kitsune's back. As Kurama waved his own wand towards the window, an orb of white light completely encased him, fending off most of the jet. Both thieves dropped the wands, fresh red burn marks on their hands.

The magical sticks of wood seemed to have other ideas, however, and levitated in front of their respective owners, the blast and the shield intensifying in power, one matching the other. Expletives were muttered from both sides as the white lashed out towards the purple's owner; the purple responded accordingly and set out a shield, mirrored of the white.

The steady streams became short blasts, white resembling foxes with their fangs exposed, purple in sharp daggers. Each began cracking the other shield, explosions sounding throughout the room.

Each shield split apart with a blinding white light, briefly blinding both thieves and an unfortunately-timed returning Ollivander. Bakura and Kurama were knocked to the ground, the wands mysteriously coming back in place to their hands.

Ollivander was the first up, eyes gleaming. "I told you not to point the wands at each other _for a reason,_ young sirs. I suggest you take my advice in the future, and count yourselves lucky that you found your suitable wands so quickly."

Bakura glared at the wand in his hand, and made to fling it across the room. It flew a good six feet before changing directions and sticking back in his still-flat palm. Cursing lightly, he noticed the wand was now a gold color.

In fact, it was gold.

"No – _absolutely not._ I am **_not _**copying the pharaoh and his brat!"

"You are not _precisely_ copying him, Mr. Bakura. Though they have the same material, yours contains one black and one white unicorn tail hair, coming from two of the strongest of the species I've ever seen. Once each was plucked, they intertwined with the other."

"It's still too close for my comfort, thank you very much."

/I kind of like it, Bakura! Besides, he said it was from the strongest of the species, didn't he/

Bakura's face smoothed over as he heard Ryou speak. -/Perhaps you're right, ahou. Perhaps you're right./-

Ollivander explained Kurama's wand while the spirit was in conversation. "Your wand, young sir, is made of a lovely branch of-"

"Rosewood, I know."

Ollivander beamed, pleased that Kurama knew the casing. "Yes, and the core is a lovely strand from the hair of-"

"A kitsune? Where did you ever acquire that?"

"Our shop was robbed some hundreds of years ago when it was first established, and we found this folded between the pages of our records."

Kurama sighed, rubbing his temples. "Of course – why not?"

"Oi, Kurama! You two done in there yet? We're _bored!_"

Ollivander smiled at the two. "It seems your friends are waiting. Contact me if you have any problems with that wand."

The group left after paying a gargantuan sum of nearly 120 galleons. They met the headmaster back at the bank, as earlier decided. Yusuke flinched as he saw the streak of a purple Knight Bus returning in their direction.

* * *

(A/N: Wow….Harry is FINALLY making an appearance. Amazing, ne?) 

Harry Potter, hero and savior of the Wizarding world, was having the decidedly worst summer of his life. Though the Dursely's were giving him more space than ever, the thought of his godfather's death was more than he could bear.

Letters came from Hermione and Ron, both of which were sympathetic to his plight. However, space between the three diluted the comfort that was sent.

Hermione's summer seemed to be going very well for her. She was visiting a penpal in Japan named Mai Valentine – also meeting the girl's friends, including her boyfriend Joey Wheeler and his cousin Kazuma Kuwabara. The Gryffindor, though very happy to encounter a new culture, seemed to be sucked into a life consumed in make-up and boys. She was also rather irate that she had missed meeting Seto Kaiba (_**The Seto Kaiba**, Harry! Can you **imagine?**_ she'd ranted) by three days.

Ron was having an almost overly-eventful summer. His parents were staying mainly at the Order, so Bill and Charlie were taking turns being the parent figures for the family. Kitchen fires and raw-egg fights were a constant, and a giant prank war with Fred and George's experimental jokes ran wild. If that wasn't enough, Ginny had a constant barrage of suitors coming to the house, all of which were chased off by her older brothers, making the young girl retaliate and start a cycle of prank wars with more vehemence than the rest of the family combined.

Thankfully, he'd just received a letter from Dumbledore, saying someone would be arriving at the Dursely's home in two days to pick him up. He'd be staying at Hogwarts until the first term started, seeing as he'd refused to stay at the 'Most Noble House of Black' and the Weasely's home had been declared unsafe.

Just two more days.

Two more days.

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**_Reviews _**

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**PenPusherM **– (Rolls eyes) Think whatever you like, Melly. And damn you for being in FLORIDA! ARGH!

**Chelley Angel** – (Blushes) Well, thank you! And we assume that most people just have _issues_ with _anything_ that come out of Atemu's deck.

**The Raging Flame Moon** – Yes, well, we can't all be perfect, now can we? Um….don't be dead! Or unconscious! Both are bad!

**ComputerFreak101** – Thank you!

**Dymond **– Thief rivalry will be a huge part of this story – it's just so much fun to play with!

**Crazy Hyper Lady** – And here I was starting to wonder where you got your name from…..thank you!

**Rosedark** – Well, I'm special and exploit it whenever possible. Thanks so much!

**RainOwl** – Damn straight!

**Kenmeishouri** – Thank you, and I will (did….whatever….)!


	11. The Guardian

I am so incredibly proud of myself it's not even funny. I've finally figured out the plot for this story!

Please, all rejoice!

I swear the term will start soon! They just have to pick up Harry (next chapter – I'm gonna have some fun with that, actually.) and then we'll fast forward to school starting (The sorting, "Oh, wow! It's Seto Kaiba! It's Yugi Moto!", "Oh, wow! A new subject!", "Oh, wow! Weird teachers!", "Oh, wow! That guy has a sword!", "Oh, wow! What if they have something to do with Voldemort!", etc, etc.) and Ryou's birthday (which I'm also having a _lot_ of fun with…).

Disclaimer: (Rolls eyes) Nope, still don't own 'em. Damn.

Oh! I have a request! I have all of the YuGiOh, but I need to know if **_ANYONE KNOWS THE BIRTHDAYS OF YU YU HAKUSHO CHARACTERS. IF YOU DO, PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME!_**

Or is that just a dumb bit of information I'll have to make do without?

* * *

I'm horribly sorry I keep switching this on all of you. I think I've finally got a system down.

Yugi - /Speech/

Yami - /Speech/

Ryou - /_Speech_/

Bakura - /_Speech_/

Random Monster Thing (You'll understand later, I promise.) - /**_Speech_**/

* * *

_**The Guardian **_

* * *

"I will meet all of you inside the castle once you have crossed the lake. Four to a boat." The headmaster waved merrily and disappeared, presumably to the entryway of the castle.

"Remind me why we're crossing a lake in a rickety boat again?" questioned Yusuke.

"Hn."

Kurama was the one to calmly answer, "Dumbledore-san said it was a tradition, you two. While we're here, we're going to have to respect these people's customs. Try to remember that. And, no, Hiei, you are not allowed to set the boats on fire."

"Hn."

And with that, the groups split, Bakura, Kurama, Hiei, and Botan in one boat, Yugi, Seto, Mokuba, and Yusuke in the other. The boats propelled themselves in a fluid motion across the lake, making no ripples on the water. The boats traveled a good six feet apart, neither one ahead of the other. The group traveled in silence, eager to see what would become their new home.

"Guys?" whispered Mokuba suddenly. "Something's down there…."

Yugi froze and the others could feel him sending a light probing force into the water's depths. "….It's…a giant…squid?"

"We're being stalked by a giant squid?" Yusuke yelled, leaning over the side of the boat. "Cool!"

Botan looked inquisitively into the water. "Oh! Koenma-sama told me about this! It sort of….screens everyone who come into the school so it can protect them, I think." She stopped looking at the glassy surface to evaluate everyone in her boat. "Guys? Are you okay?"

The question attracted the attention of everyone in Yugi's boat, Mokuba scrutinizing the white haired spirit. "'Kura! Your eye!"

"Why does Kurama have ears?" questioned Yugi softly.

Yusuke nearly jumped out of his boat. "Hiei! Your arm! What the hell?"

The three looked at each other. Kurama sported a pair of silvery vulpine ears poking through his red hair, and visible only to those sitting closest to him, fangs had lengthened in his row of teeth. Bakura gained a scar crossing over his left eye, darkening his looks even further.

As for Hiei, the bandages encompassing his right forearm slithered to the bottom of the boat of their own free will, and underneath his robed sleeve came a blackened purple glow. He stared at in shock, and with seeming trepidation, pulled back his sleeve to reveal a now-glowing black dragon tattoo.

A tentacle rose slowly through the air, and a voice reverberated through the heads of all eight professors.

/**_I have marked the thieves; they shall now be recognized within the school of the Hogwarts Four. Harm those under my protection, and you will be marked for life, a scar of death across your neck. You have been warned._**/

Three thieves exchanged worried glances, saying but one word. "Kuso."

* * *

A smiling Dumbledore met them in the doors of the beautiful castle. "I trust your ride went well?" He glanced towards Bakura, Kurama, and Hiei, all of whom were seething and glaring in his general direction. "…Perhaps not."

Bakura began, "Your –"

"_Asinine –_" interjected Kurama, in a rather foul mood himself.

"Guardian in the lake gave us a rather –"

"_Unnecessary_ and_ pointless _–" hissed Hiei from the middle of the group.

"Alteration to our physical selves that we most certainly _do not appreciate_. Is it _common _in Europe to discriminate based purely on one's past?"

"Something some of us _didn't have any control _over?" added a furious Kurama.

Dumbledore's eyes seemed to twinkle infuriatingly. "I see you've met the castle's primary protector." He sighed. "I must apologize for the squid's actions – it is old, and dedicated to an old way of thinking. Those protected within this school are all it knows."

"I don't want your excuses, Dumbledore. I want this thing," Bakura pointed to his eye, "Removed from Ry–_my_ face. Immediately."

"And," furthered Kurama in a sarcastic voice, "As much as I do truly _love _this new addition to my skull, I can't see commanding respect from my students when I have a pair of _fox ears_ poking out from my hair."

"Oh, come on, Kurama!" snickered Yusuke, "You love them and you know it!"

The red haired bishonen looked unsure whether he should kill Yusuke or smirk with admittance. He felt Hiei twitch in utmost annoyance, and out of the corner of his eye saw Hiei's hand move to his sword hilt. Kurama quickly placed a calming hand on the jaganshi's shoulder to avoid the murder of a ningen as the man started talking again.

"Unfortunately, I cannot reverse the effects placed on you. I do believe that when you leave school grounds, the changes will disappear, but while you reside in this school, they will remain."

Silent communication flew through Hiei and Kurama, without the two even looking at each other. A twitched finger from Hiei (_I'll slash the ningen's neck!_), a lock of hair tucked behind Kurama's ear (_Hiei, no. You're not allowed to and you _know_ this._), a calm blink in return (_And what do _you_ care?_), Kurama fiddling with his scarf (_Hiei, _don't_. Please?_), an ending flick of imaginary dirt off a spotless robe (_Vain fox. Fine, I'll stay._), and a final, longer than necessary blink (_Thank you, Hiei. It means a lot._), coupled with a quick smile, was more than enough to settle the entire argument.

Kurama quickly stated for the both of them, "You can count on us, Dumbledore. We're not going to leave anytime soon."

Bakura had also gained a glazed look in his eyes. /_Are you alright with this?_/

/_I'll be fine, Bakura. It's just a little scar, right?_/

/_Right. Still…_/ The Egyptian Thief King was quickly quieted.

/_Still nothing, 'Kura/ _the little albino said with an air of finality._ /And you are not allowed to hurt that…..ano, are you sure it was a _**squid/**

/_Yugi's sure._/

/_Squid, then. You're not allowed to hurt it in any way! It was only doing it's job!_/

/_If you haven't noticed, ahou,_/ huffed Bakura/**My**_ job is to protect _**you.**

Ryou was touched and a little flustered by the spirit's caring, unpleasant as it came across. He withdrew to his soulroom, a warm, fluffy feeling in his head as Bakura announced to the group that he would be staying nonetheless.

"All of you are still with me?" A general consent was murmured. "Then please follow me to your rooms and classrooms."

"Excuse me, Dumbledore-sensei?" Mokuba stepped from his brother's side to query the headmaster. "Where am I going to stay? I know I'll have to be sorted into a house, but in the meantime…?"

Dumbledore smiled kindly. "I do believe there is an extra room adjoining to the one we planned to house your brother in. If there is not…well, we'll just have to make one, won't we?"

Mokuba beamed, childhood innocence shining through. "Thank you."

The headmaster regarded the younger Kaiba briefly, before coming to an inner conclusion. "And, if you're not particularly interested in moving into the castle, I believe Mr. Lupin would be more than glad to have you accompany him on a….business venture."

Hopeful eyes were spun on a lithe body towards the older brother. "Can I?"

Iced daggers were shot from blue irises at the headmaster, daring him to lie. "It's safe?"

Dumbledore smirked. "I can assure you that Mr. Lupin is one of the few people that even you, Seto, would be grateful to have at your side in any sort of fight."

Seto gave a slight nod. "Good enough. Mokie, I'll move your things."

* * *

Some translations…

Kuso – "Oh shit/damn."

Bishonen – Literally "Pretty boy," but adopted into fanfiction as "Uber hot/sexy man/demi-god."

Jaganshi – Literally "Master of the Jagan", referring to Hiei's Jagan Eye.

Ningen – Human, mortal.

Ano – "Umm….."

Ahou – "Fool."

* * *

_**Reviews**_

* * *

_**BEFORE REVIEWS, I WILL ASK AGAIN. DOES ANYONE HAVE BIRTHDAYS FOR ANY OF THE YU YU HAKUSHO GANG? IF SO, PLEASE TELL ME!**_

**Chelley Angel** – Always glad to be called original, if nothing else. Thanks!

**The Raging Flame Moon** – (Blinkblink) Right. I'll sit here and pretend to understand that while my father tries to convince me that the computer is the spawn of the devil and normal teenage girls do not spend this much time around them. (Scoffs) Yet he's still the one paying the internet bills….

**RainOwl **– Sadly enough, that was the most inspiring review I've gotten. It scared me a little…..which is why I came up with a plot! So I applaud you!

**Yami Hitokiri** - ….I'm glad you weren't bored out of your mind? Thank you? I'm not quite sure how to respond to that…..

**Computerfreak101** – Well thank you! And now you know the answer to both your question and your demand.

**Crazy Hyper Lady** – Ummm…..See above response for 'The Raging Flame Moon'. You and her should talk sometime. You make about the same amount of sense.

**Lady Threarah** – (Watering chibi eyes) You are….the first person to ever say that to me! (Glomps) I love you!

**Rosedark** – Thank you, my good lady. Love ya much!

**Emiko (PenPusherM)** – Hey girl! Glad to hear you're back!


	12. Rescue

(Sighs) Fine, I guess no one can tell me their birthdays. It's not even on Absolute Anime Profiles, which seems to have the birthdays of every other character in every other series! Argh!

OK, quick shameless plug since **PenPusherM** did it for me. Go read her Yujo Chronicles! Immediately! They're adorable displays of cuteness coupled with action!

OK, I now swear to you that all you have to suffer through is this chapter and the next one before you see teaching. (Yes, I know because I've already finished the next chapter. No, you're not getting it early.)

Any requests as to who teaches first? I'm totally open to suggestions at this point.

This is just a cute little segment of Harry being picked up and Mokuba taking a shot at throwing his weight around. Hope you enjoy!

Wait, two more things. First, I'd like to say I'm really ecstatic you all liked the squid. I was sooooo afraid to publish that. I thought you'd attack me with pitchforks saying 'OOC-ness! You're horrible!' or 'How dare you copy Lizeth! (Which I didn't….too badly….)'. Your reviews put me at ease.

Secondly, I'd like to shout out to Omega Darkcat who left the best review I've ever gotten, even if I did get this giant lump in my throat when I read it. Thank you so much!

* * *

**_Rescue_**

* * *

Harry had spent most of the day in his room, discreetly packing things away. He'd be damned if he _willingly_ gave the Dursleys any notice of wizards coming to his home. Family or not, they still annoyed him immensely, and every bit of discomfort at their expense was a welcome opportunity.

However, the young savior had no idea as to how his rescuers planned to arrive. Floo powder? Portkey? Brooms? Or even a normal mode of transportation? Say, a car? Harry grinned at the mental image he received of Tonks trying to drive a pickup truck, Lupin leaning out the side window, trying to vanish everything that came within the truck's path.

This led him to scurrying around the house all day, unboarding the fireplace, clearing rooms of sharp objects, placing strategic pillows in corners, unlocking each and every window, and removing a haphazard garbage can from the middle of the driveway. He was still amazed his adoptive family had noticed none of it.

A loud bang echoed throughout the house at ten-to-eight, signaling the arrival of his rescue squad. The bang (followed by a rather loud, high-pitched scream) was quite comforting to Harry – if the Ministry was allowing Portkeys to be distributed and used by those who supported Dumbledore, at least they were outwardly acknowledging Voldemort's return.

"Harry? Are you there?" Lupin's soft voice floated up the stairs, his footsteps sounding on the hallway.

"Almost there! I've just got a couple things to shove in my trunk!" he yelled back, rapidly throwing things in the wooden box. He could hear muffled screeches of his aunt and Dudley downstairs, and wondered vaguely who could be holding them back as Lupin poked his head in the doorway.

"Need some help?"

Harry grinned. "Thanks."

A quick levitation spell saw the two heading down the stairs to the main family room, where Harry saw his 'family' held down on the couch by a young man sporting a horrifying glare.

As Harry looked closer, he realized the boy was actually his own age. Only an enormous amount of maturity saved him from looking like the seventeen year old he was. A white trench coat whipped around him over a basic black t-shirt and jeans, an ensemble completed by numerous amounts of buckles and a pair of combat boots. Black hair cascaded down his back, and lavender eyes shot out from behind darkened eyelashes. He seemed to be holding down the Dursleys with a mere glare – though Harry admitted to himself, he'd probably become just as intimidated under the same circumstances.

As he heard footsteps on the stairs, the young man whipped around to scrutinize Harry. He stepped forward, looking condescendingly on the boy who lived. "You must be Harry Potter." His voice came out low and dangerous, at the same time conveying the fact that the other boy's existence mattered very little compared to his own.

Harry nodded weakly.

He gave an arrogant toss of his head, saying without words that he couldn't _believe_ he had to take the _initiative_ on the conversation – this boy was not _worth_ his precious _time_. "My name," he stated slowly, still keeping up a patronizing glare, folding his arms in front of him, "Is Kaiba."

Harry's eyes shot open. "Y-you're Seto Kaiba!"

A sudden suppressed snicker broke the mood. Harry turned to see Lupin, who had been traveling behind him, fighting his hardest not to laugh. He could nearly see tears streaming from the werewolf's eyes.

"Not quite, Harry. Not – oh, I'm so sorry, Mokuba! You just – that was _beautiful. Please_ tell me you've put that acting to good use!" Remus returned to snickering on the stairwell.

Harry turned again to face the younger Kaiba, who was now smiling as well, his entire demeanor changed in but a moment. "Lupin!" he drew out the name in a whine, "You broke my cover! Not fair!" Sticking his tongue out at the lycanthrope, he looked to Harry. "I'm sorry – I've just always wanted to try that."

"You're….not Kaiba?"

"Oh, I'm a Kaiba. I'm Seto's little brother, Mokuba." He pouted, "It's just that Seto always seems to have all the fun! Do you have any idea how _entertaining_ it is to watch people grovel because you look at them?" Laughing, he added, "So I stole one of his old outfits and thought I'd try it out on some poor innocent who doesn't know the difference."

Harry gave him a wry grin. "So glad I could be your guinea pig."

Mokuba waved a hand in dismissal. "Nah – this is a one time thing. But either way, we're here to take you back to Hogwarts, and," he looked to Lupin, who nodded, "I do believe our Portkey – that _is_ what you call these, right? – is just about ready to send us off."

Lupin smiled kindly, now more or less over his crippling laughter. "That's correct, Mokuba. Harry, Mokuba will be joining you in your sixth year. He's….something of a transfer student from Japan. He'll also be staying at the castle until term starts."

Mokuba grinned, shedding his brother's trenchcoat, exposing a muscled torso underneath a black t-shirt. "And guess what? We've got the headmaster's special permission to visit Hogsmeade at any time, thanks to my special persuasive powers!"

Harry's eyes lit up. "Really? That's great!"

"Mm-hmm. And my nii-sama's teaching at Hogwarts! You and everybody else in that castle," he grinned slyly, "Are going to have a very _interesting_ year, to say the least."

"Nii-sama?"

Mokuba smacked his hand to his forehead. "Sorry – I occasionally lapse back into Japanese. Sort of a habit when you've spoken the language all your life. Nii-sama means 'brother'."

"Your brother's _teaching?_"

Mokuba grinned. "That was Yugi's reaction. I – well, you'll meet him later."

"Boys? The Portkey's ready to go."

* * *

Mokuba and Harry were still chatting when they arrived at Hogwarts. The younger Kaiba had invited Harry to see the rooms set up for him and Seto, which turned out to be decorated in a lavish Egyptian theme. The CEO was rather unhappy about this and immediately set about ordering house elves to change it, accepting aid from Harry (who knew a few useful transfiguration and charms spells), and allowing both himself and Mokuba to try out a few simple charms (none of which backfired, though only a few turned out with enough perfection for Seto's critical eye). The rooms were slowly being transformed into a beautifully modern theme, complete with computers and electronics displayed throughout the room.

Midnight found Seto clearing a wall (he claimed he'd put one of his bigger monitors directly on it so he could control his company on a more regular basis). Everything he set on the floor was quickly whisked away by a house elf, which promptly disappeared and managed to bow while doing so.

"I must admit, these are the _best_ servants I have ever encountered. Do you think we could convince Dumbledore to loan us some for the main house, Mokuba?"

Mokuba chuckled from the next room, using his wand as a giant paintbrush for a mural in his temporary bedroom. "Somehow I doubt it. I don't think they'd react very well to all the technology."

Harry shuffled nervously. "You know, Mr. Kaiba –"

"Harry! If you call him that again I'll paint your face _blue!_ His name is _Seto!_" called Mokuba from his painting.

"Yes, well, er… Professor. Your computer isn't going to work here. Nothing electronic works here."

A glint appeared in Seto's eye. "Oh really, Mister Potter?"

"His name is HARRY, Seto!"

Seto smirked, and Harry got the impression that he wanted dearly to roll his eyes at his younger sibling. Instead, he moved towards the laptop resting on the desk. "Then how do you explain this?"

A swirling screen appeared, the emblem of Kaiba Corp growing and shrinking in the center. "How did you do that?"

Seto, in an uncharacteristic display of playfulness, tapped the side of his nose in a mysterious manner. "Not telling."

A woman's voice floated from the speakers of the computer. "Good evening, Mister Kaiba!"

"HIS NAME IS SETO!"

* * *

_**Reviews**_

* * *

**PenPusherM** – (Snickers) I just love having fun with Kurama. Sorry 'bout that…..

**Crazy Hyper Lady** – I did! So cute! And I'm thinking that if the girls are anything like PenPusherM, they'll get over the ears REALLY fast and start staring at other anatomy…..

**The Raging Flame Moon** – But you know I love you anyway, right?

**ComputerFreak101 **– Trying! Really, truly trying!

**Misawa Kaitou** – (Hugs) Thank you! And…well….I'm sure I'll have some fun with that. It just might not be for a while…..

**Omega Darkcat** – That's….really in depth. And I agree, the abruptness of Harry's entrance was really, really weird. I had a migraine while I wrote it, but PenPusherM was on my case to get it published, so that's what you get. If I ever really hit a serious writing block, I promise to you that I'll go back and legthen/edit that. Thanks so much for the review! (I was kinda scared when I first opened it….)

**Punk Shark** – Thank you! I like him darker as well. It's so fun to write him, honestly. I mean, thieves have more fun than anyone else!

**RainOwl **– I'm….shocked that the squid is speaking to you. And slightly unnerved. Therefore I'm updating. Quickly.

**Lady Threarah** – Awwww….Thank you! You rock too!

**Black Angel of Destruction** – Thank you thank you thank you! Love you so much!

– Nice name, and thanks! I'm so happy you liked it.


	13. Enter Stage Left

Wow. My reviewers rock. Ten minutes after I posted the chapter, I had TEN REVIEWS waiting in my inbox. You have no idea how happy that makes me. And once again, I do not own YYH, YGO, or HP.

Well, here's the chapter you've all been waiting for. The entrance of our…erm…._esteemed_….bishies (and one bishoju) and the Sorting of Mokuba! (Smiles sheepishly) When I first wrote this, I totally forgot about Botan. And my informal beta(mysteriously) didn't catch it either. The fact that I emailed it to her at, like, 1:00 AM probably didn't help much, though.

Please, read on.

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:** I want a quick recount. Please tell me if you want shonen ai included in this story or not. There will be no yaoi. I tried writing it (briefly) and failed miserably. But I'm perfectly willing to insert a great deal of fluffiness. However, I'm also sensitive to the fact that many people are offended by this, and am willing to write the story either way. But the only way I know what you want is if you review, guys. And the votes I get from this chapter will determine which way the story goes.

* * *

_**Enter Stage Left**_

* * *

Three weeks passed in which both black haired boys got to know each other very well. Harry related his life's story to Mokuba (omitting a few details) and Mokuba told Harry about his life (omitting many details). They became rather fast friends, and Harry was sure that both Hermione and Ron would be more than happy to accept him. 

Harry had the privilege of meeting all the new teachers, though he only very rarely saw any but Professors Kaiba, Urameshi (who insisted on being called Yusuke), and Moto. The others seemed very fond of disappearing, which was always explained away as 'family business', 'errands', 'thinking time', or one ludicrous statement from Professor Urameshi that made everyone around him chuckle, 'Oh, she's just heading back to the Spirit World to update the toddler Prince on what you're doing, Potter. Why are you so damn nosy, anyway?'.

He'd written to both Hermione and Ron about the new teaching staff (Ron had been overjoyed they'd acquired a new Divination teacher that seemed halfway normal), telling them they seemed to be rather normal, if a bit reclusive, all things considered. He did mention that one of the teachers had found a way of getting electronics to work within the school – he'd failed to say that Seto Kaiba was the one teaching. He thought he'd leave that for Hermione's surprise.

He was sitting at the Gryffindor table when the students arrived in one massive, overpowering soundwave. He grinned, though – the Great Hall had been much too empty with just him, Mokuba, and a few teachers to occupy it – though he and the black haired youth had immediately sent a few owls off to deplete Fred and George's stock to rectify the situation. Dumbledore himself had purchased a few crates of the twin's famous fireworks, claiming he was 'Helping the graduates of Hogwarts in later life.' Harry strongly suspected he just liked to see the scowl on Filch's face whenever the hyperactive lightshows started to whistle.

He'd been immediately tackled by Hermione (and informed by Ron that he'd gotten the same treatment) who was ecstatic she finally got to see her friends. Mokuba had mysteriously disappeared, saying he needed to help his brother and the other teachers make a 'Good First Impression'. Sadly enough, he was highly invaluable to the seven newest teachers. Harry had heard they wanted to make a scene to start the school year off, "With a bang!" as Yusuke had put it. None of them were yet seated at the Professor's Table, and both of Harry's friends had noticed the empty seats as soon as the Sorting of the First Years was completed. Food now lined every inch of the table; gold dishes, goblets and flatware experiencing a high amount of use.

"Hey Harry? You've been here for a while, right? Where are they all?"

"I'm sure they'll show up when they're ready, Ron."

"Oh, come on, Hermione! Aren't you the least bit curious? We've even got a new subject!"

"Like I said, we'll meet them when the time comes," she repeatedly patiently. Harry, however could see her twitching every now and then in impatience. "We have them for classes, don't we? And for goodness sake, don't talk with that much food in your mouth. I never want to see potatoes in that state again."

Harry grinned at his two bickering friends, but wisely kept his mouth shut. Instead, he looked to the enchanted ceiling, where a large thunderstorm mirrored the weather outside – yet another reason he was glad he'd come to school early. A particularly nasty crack of thunder sounded, and the door was blown open with a jet of blue light, blinding everyone in the hall.

Fingers still outstretched in his Spirit Gun formation, Yusuke grinned at the students that were gaping at him. "Hey! Don't we get a Hogwarts welcome?"

The blue light dimmed, to be replaced by black that outlined the doorway. The oversized doors leading to the great hall finally fell off their hinges, crashing to the floor nearest the Slytherin and Ravenclaw tables. The entire group was finally visible, including a grinning Mokuba, who winked at Harry from across the room.

Harry watched as Ron dropped his fork (still laden with Beef Wellington), and he felt Hermione freeze in shock behind him as the eight made their way to the head table. Hiei had drawn his sword, Kurama twirled a rose, and Botan floated on her oar. Yusuke was at the front of the group, flanked Atemu and Bakura (both had drawn their hair into lengthy ponytails), with the Kaiba brothers bringing up the far end of the unlikely procession. None had deemed it necessary to wear proper robes – all were dressed for duels or battles. Each click of their staccato footsteps was heard – all of them walking to the same beat made for an even more dramatic impression.

Yusuke grinned again and yelled up to the headmaster's seat, "Hey, old man!"

Gasps rang through the hall, and Harry saw Kurama discreetly roll his eyes.

Jerking his thumb to the back of the group, Yusuke waited until the whispering had barely quieted before yelling again, "You forgot one!"

Dumbledore smiled, eyes twinkling with high amusement. "Please excuse my rudeness. Students! Please welcome to our hall the newest student of Hogwarts, Mister Mokuba Kaiba. He will be joining our sixth year class, and," he waved to Minerva, "You will all receive the pleasure of seeing him Sorted immediately."

* * *

Mokuba inwardly smiled to himself. Their entrance, timed to the second, had gone on without a hitch. He strode to the stool where Professor McGonagall was frowning down at him once again, obviously in disapproval of the large amount of leather covering (or revealing) his skin, and the chains adorning his waist. He shrugged – it wasn't _his_ fault the lady wasn't fashionable. 

Grabbing the hat directly out of McGonagall's hands, he placed it carefully on his head, waiting for his house to be determined. He didn't precisely expect the voice to ring out in his head.

"Well, you're a piece of work, aren't you?"

"All for the best! ...Is this what it's like having a yami in your head?"

"A what? Oh, I see. Yes, I can read that in your thoughts. No, this is not like having a spirit inside your mind. I'm just here momentarily."

"So….you're more of a mind rapist than a constant houseguest?"

"I'll _ignore _that comment for now. I see you are in possession of qualities from every house – Slytherin shrewdness; what's this about you trying to murder someone? And plenty of brains; you'd fit in very nicely with our Ravenclaw bunch. You've got loyalty in unlimited amounts, but only for those you care for, which makes for a wonderful Hufflepuff. And of course there's bravery; you'd make one of the most outspoken Gryffindors I've ever encountered."

"Thank you?"

"I'm willing to offer you a deal. Since you're obviously above the normal sorting age, I'll consider you of sound mind and capable of making your own decisions. Which house would you feel most comfortable in? Please choose wisely."

"Ano…if you don't mind, I'd truly appreciate being in Gryffindor. That's where at least one of my friends is, and since all my other friends will be teaching…well, obviously I won't see them half as much as I normally would."

"You're sure?"

"Quite."

"Then lift the hat a few inches off your head; I don't want to deafen you. Good lad. GRYFFINDOR!"

Three of the four houses erupted in cheers, and the seven newest teachers smiled at him as he made his way to the Gryffindor table, Harry making room for him immediately.

"I knew you'd make it! Ron, Hermione, this is Mokuba. He's –"

"Silence, please!" Everyone turned to see Dumbledore standing from his seat. "As exciting as this turn of events is, I would like to introduce your new teachers. As you've noticed, we've added a new subject for fifth years and above, to instruct you in the noble art of Dueling."

"I'm Yusuke Urameshi, and this is Hiei! Our class is gonna kick _ass!_ I want all of you to be there, alright?" The students, unsurprisingly, weren'toffended by the crude language, but they could see the energy he displayed – many of them wondered how exactly this boy became a teacher, of all things. Wasn't he more suited to, say, circus performances?

"We have also procured a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Hopefully," the headmaster added with a smile, "He will be more successful than last year's. Cards and flowers may be sent to our late Professor Umbridge in St. Mungo's."

"I'm Yugi Moto," proclaimed Atemu – Yugi wasn't good with crowds. "I hope I'll be able to teach you _something._"

"Due to the loss of our Divination teacher," Ron and Harry both smirked, "Mister –"

"Ryou Bakura, fools." Bakura sneered at the student populace. "I'm here to teach you how to make some use of yourselves."

Dumbledore was not the least bit deterred by this statement, though a few of the first years began to question his sanity. "And in replacement of Professor Sprout, we have a new Herbology teacher."

"Konnichiwa,"Kurama said, bowing. "I'm Professor Kurama, and I hope to see you all soon. I'm afraid I've also been dragged into helping out with some of the other classes as well."

"Miss Botan," he gestured to the bobbing blue haired girl in question, "Will be assisting Madame Hooch in any and all broom-related activities."

She smiled cheerily, extending her pointer finger near her face, "Bingo, Professor Dumbledore-san!"

"And lastly, our newest Arithmancy teacher," Dumbledore nodded to the brunette, already privy to the fact that he wasn't about to let the headmaster introduce him.

"Seto Kaiba. All of you coming to this class, be prepared to work _hard._ I'll accept _no slackers_." He glared at the audience for good measure.

Ron mumbled something to Mokuba as Seto swept to the empty seat waiting for him. "Sounds like someone's got a ten foot pole up their arse."

Mokuba's movements were akin to that of a snake as he upturned a pitcher of pumpkin juice on Ron's head, knocking him clear off the bench in the process.

"What was _that_ for, you loon?"

"Don't you _ever_ insult my nii-sama," Mokuba ground out, glaring the patented Kaiba glare at the boy on the floor.

"Your what?" asked Ron from the floor with a stupified look on his face.

"You're….brothers?" Hermione had been in shock since Seto's name had been announced, and she immediately flew towards Mokuba. "You're _really _brothers? This is so exciting! I can't believe you're both here! Will you introduce me? Harry, do you think he'll join S.P.E.W.? Oh, I can't believe this is happening! Harry, you dolt, why didn't you _tell_ me!"

Mokuba quickly melted his icy demeanor as Hermione flitted around him, trying to answer as many questions as he could. Ron returned to the bench, flinching, and asked Harry, "So, this guy's another Lockhart?"

Harry shook his head, looking away from the flustered Mokuba. "Not really – he's a huge businessman from the muggle world. I've been talking to him since I got here, and he seems like the real thing. He got computers to work here, Ron."

"Students, to your common rooms!"

Rising from his seat and motioning for the amazed first years to follow the new prefects, Ron asked his dire question. "What's a computer?"

"Ron, _honestly._ You_ need_ to take muggle studies," ranted an exasperated Hermione.

Mokuba grinned, pulling out his prized iPod, and thus began the education of Ron.

* * *

_**Reviews**_

* * *

**PenPusherM** – I'm deeply considering the bracelet idea. I'm somehow thinking it'll become a huge part of the plot….

**Raging Flame Moon** – So glad you approve. I just love Mokie!

**Chelley Angel** – That's OK, we all get busy. I'm so glad you think this is original!

**i-wuv-food **– That's alright. Honestly, it's OK. (Sighs) But I thought SOME deranged fan would have it….

**Green Phantom Queen** – Yay! Thanks for the review – and I'm glad you approve.

**Misawa Kaitou** – But of course. And you will, I swear.

**Dreamstar22** – Wow. I am so confused. I didn't think I added another character (can you tell me who?) and, sadly, this is not Seto/Isis. Where'd that come from? At this point its Seto-the-amazing-loner….sorry! But I'm so happy that you think to compare me to JKR. Thank you!

**Omega Darkcat** – You're very scary. And thank you – it was one of the few things I _haven't _read in one of these fics.

**RainOwl** – I'm….happy? And hope you like this chapter too!

**Computerfreak101** – Mokuba makes himself too easy to write – it's so much fun!

– So can I. Like I've been saying, Mokie's my favorite character to write.

**Dymond **– Yay! Another happy reviewer! Sorry for the confusion….

**Darkrose 17** – Oh dear. Umm….how about if it's shounen ai? Please? That was my original intent when I began writing this story, in all honesty.

**sango-rox** – Glad to be such a good influence on you!

**Crazy Hyper Lady** – Working on it….

**samuraiduck27 **– I'm happy you're happy! And I'm working on it, really I am!

**Kenmeishouri **– That's what I'm hoping for…..Though 'burn' everyone is not the term I'd use, necessarily.

**killah-sama** – Thank you! I feel so loved and appreciated by everyone!


	14. Demonstration

_**Author's Note that SHOULD BE READ!**_

Dammit, people! You've tied down the middle for whether or not you want fluff/shonen-ai. Those who told me their opinions, thank you. Those that did not – **please state thy preference! This is the last chapter I'll be counting votes for!**

The teaching (if you can really call it that….) finally begins. Welcome to school, children.

* * *

_**Demonstration**_

* * *

Kurama smiled as he looked around Greenhouse 6. When he'd first come, nearly every plant had been abused, drugged, or malnourished, but now they thrived and literally wove around the entire house, seeming to dance. He didn't blame Professor Sprout for the negligence she'd left; she had obviously cared, but hadn't quite known how to handle the more dangerous species.

Well, relatively speaking, of course. The most dangerous plants she had were housed here, and none of them were especially threatening to the demon. However, he'd enlisted Hagrid at the start of term to erect the newest of his projects – Greenhouse 10.

This was where he planned to teach the real lessons. Makai plants lined the walls, all dangerous plants capable of ensnaring a witch or wizard. A blood sucking plant lingered in the corner, the flowers he cultivated the death seed from a few feet away from it. A Janen Ju took up yet another wall, and a Fuyouka Shokubutsu took the third. His Mimosa was planted on the wall nearest the door, and his favorite stood in the middle – a giant Death Tree.

One last pulse of energy was sent out to the thriving plants, checking their health. Smiling, he tucked a few extra seeds into his hair, feeling them send a warm reassurement in return. He'd promised to help Yusuke and Hiei with their first lesson. A demonstration, he'd been told. He pulled on a black kimono embroidered with beautiful rose designs – this would be a light spar, no one getting actually injured – and headed towards the castle.

* * *

Yusuke smirked as Harry's sixth year Gryffindor class filed into the classroom, followed by nervous looking Ravenclaws. Looking around, he was rather proud of himself. Originally an unused classroom complete with cobwebs and rats, the walls had been repainted a shocking green shade that made most people wince when they entered. The classroom had been magically expanded, and now resembled a Roman amphitheatre – or the Dark Tournament arena. Two rows of seats circled around the dueling platform, which could change from the Wizarding rectangle to the Makai circle.

Hiei had spent the last three weeks trying to find a means to cover his tattoo before giving up and displaying it full force. The thing obviously didn't want to be hid, and according to Kurama, the little black haired demon thought it added an extra boost of intimidation. Yusuke watched the faces of the kids lining up in front of him, and personally had to agree.

"Alright, shrimps! Sit down, shut up, and put those useless sticks away! We're going to do some questions, and then we've got something everyone's going to enjoy watching." Yusuke paused in his speech for a moment before continuing. "Well, _I'll_ enjoy it, to say the least. First question – how much have you midgets done with dueling?"

Hermione, of course, was the first one with her hand in the air, shortly followed by a rather skeptical Ron.

"You, with the red hair. You remind me of – well, nevermind. What's your name?"

"Ron Weasely. We haven't gotten a chance to do hardly any dueling. We had one session of it in our second year, but the teacher was a complete git – Hermione, that _hurt_ – and we didn't learn much more than what _not_ to do."

Yusuke's smile faltered a bit, and he turned to Hiei, who was sitting on a nearby ledge, a few students ogling at him. "We're gonna have to start with _basics?_ Argh…." He faced the class again. "You're all used to dueling with just your wands, right?"

The sixth years looked confusedly at each other, wondering what other kind of dueling there was. Hiei sighed and spoke in a soft, commanding voice to the class, "Let's try that again. What is the purpose behind learning to duel?"

This time it was Harry's arm that shot into the air, followed, surprisingly, by Neville's. Hiei nodded silently to Harry, and the two locked gazes that were filled with a deep believing behind what they spoke. "The purpose of dueling is to learn how to protect ourselves from an attacker – or defend those being attacked."

Hiei nodded again. "Hn."

"That means that you are correct, Mr. Potter, and that Professor Hiei approves of your answer."

Several students jumped as the red-haired teacher appeared out of nowhere, directly behind Harry, and consequentially, in the middle of a throng of Gryffindors. Like Hiei, he had given up trying to hide his ears and now displayed them proudly, though this just seemed to make the females in the group giggle and whisper more than before.

"Kurama," mocked Yusuke, "No scaring the children. And will you please get me a 'Hiei Speech for Dummies' book or something? I've gotta teach with him the whole year and don't know what he's saying half the time!"

"If you'd _listen,_ then your brain just might process what I'm saying, detective."

Kurama coughed politely, trying to diffuse the situation before the two got into a full-blown argument in front of the whole class. "Yusuke? I believe you wanted to show the students something? If not, I'd really like to see to the Mimosa –"

"Right! Thanks, Kurama. Alright kids, here's how it's gonna work. These two are gonna put on a demo of what they can do _without_ wands. After all, we're teachin' you to protect yourself, right? That means you might not always have a wand. They're going to go in slow motion first, and I want you to shout out anything you see them doing you recognize as useful in a fight. Later, we'll do a full-speed demo – and if you can truly, honestly _see_ them with your eyes, I'll give out house points."

Kurama and Hiei moved to the center dueling arena, currently in circular form, both bowing and stepping back.

"What's the first thing you guys notice?"

Seamus called from the back, "Your arena's wrong!"

Yusuke grinned. "Right. Us three are used to the, uh, tournaments in Japan. There we use dueling arenas that are circular in shape. Anyone to touch the ground outside the arena for more than ten seconds is out. It also allows for more movement than your strips."

Kurama smirked and pulled a rose from his hair, Hiei drawing his katana and both settled into a fighter's crouch. "Remember Hiei – slow. We want them to see what we're doing. _Petals and Thorns!_"

Thousands of individual petals surrounded Kurama as he closed his eyes in concentration, trying to drown out the squeals of, "They're so pretty!" and, "_He's _so pretty!" or worst of all, "You're _sure _that's a guy? Like, _really_ sure?"

"Munchkins! Admire fox-boy some other time! Who knows what he just did?"

"A levitation spell combined with rose petals?"

"Close, but not quite. Kurama, can you send one of those – thanks," called Yusuke as a petal flew in front of his face. Hiei continued to circle around Kurama's attack, looking of an opening. Grabbing the petal out of the air, Yusuke slit it across the top of his hand, letting the blood drip down for effect. "So if each one of these petals can do that, and they're all speeding around Kurama, what has he done?"

"He's created a shield that works defensively as well as offensively," called a girl with short cropped auburn hair and chocolate eyes from the Ravenclaw side of the stadium, who's eyes never so much as moved from Kurama's form.

"Ten points to Ravenclaw," Yusuke said distractedly, wrapping his still-bleeding hand in some spare fabric.

Hiei snorted at the petals encasing Kurama. "Vain fox, that only works so many times." Drawing his katana, he walked steadily towards the vulpine demon.

"Ah, but you forget Hiei. You're not allowed to use speed," taunted Kurama.

Hiei's face twisted into a grimace for a split second before he announced, "I don't need it." He jumped nimbly up into the air, going over the cylinder of petals, and landed directly behind Kurama, sword at the yokai's neck. "I win."

"_Rose Whip!_"

Hiei found himself pinned on the floor by a large vine, staring up at Kurama's victorious figure. The petals had disappeared, and Kurama smiled, saying, "Not quite, Hiei."

Hiei glared at the fox-demon. "Hn." The rose whip began to writhe, blackening from holding the heat Hiei was emitting. As black flames began to shoot off the fire demon, it finally let go altogether, turning back into a rose that Kurama tucked in his hair.

"Alright, guys. What did Kurama do there for a tactical strategy?"

Harry spoke up this time. "He waited for Professor Hiei to find the flaw in his plan, and put him in a trap by exposing that weakness."

"Right. Ten points to Gryffindor. However, what did Kurama not take into account? Or rather, what is generally a plant's weakness?"

"Professor Hiei could use fire against him?"

"Correct. Another ten points to Ravenclaw."

"Detective."

"What? Oh, sorry, Hiei. Alright guys, remember when I said I'll give points if you can see these two? I don't expect to give out points. You'll see clashes, but otherwise neither will be visible."

Kurama drew the rose from behind his ear yet again. "What do you say we keep this as a fencing match, Hiei? _Juryo Yozanken!_"

Hiei grinned. "You'll never win _that_ way, baka-fox. Everyone knows I'm the better swordsman."

"No, Yusuke knows you're the better swordsman. Our onlookers do not." In a silent agreement, the two crouched and sprang towards each other, and in the minds of the students, literally disappeared. All eyes were trained on the seemingly empty arena, trying to find some form in it. Hermione seemed to be the most frustrated – for once she couldn't see with her own eyes what she knew was there.

"Where'd they go!"

"There!"

"No, over there!"

"Where'd that gouge in the cement come from?"

"Hiei! Stop wrecking my dueling arena!" shouted Yusuke, seeing the hole the last student had mentioned.

The students heard a voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once, though it was obviously Professor Hiei's. "It's not yours, baka. Besides, you could just fix it. First blood is mine, Kurama, by the way."

"So it is. But first strike_ and_ first blow were _mine_. Care to stop?"

"Hn."

The two appeared to a chorus of gasps from the sixth years. Both were rather battered and looked as if they had been fighting for hours, yet neither was sweating, though their breathing had increased. Kurama sported a rather large gash down the front of his uniform, exposing a well-toned chest and a small amount of blood.

"Hiei, I rather liked this shirt. You didn't have to tear it."

"Your fault for leaving yourself unguarded," quipped Hiei.

Kurama blushed. "I'm a little out of practice."

Hiei nodded, answering the unasked question in a hushed voice only the fox could pick up. "Meet you tonight in the forest. Then we can let loose – away from ningen eyes."

"Class dismissed! And – aw, what the hell, one hundred points to each house for not fainting on me! See ya next week!"

Harry quickly caught up to Ron and Hermione. "Where'd Mokuba disappear to?"

"Hm? Oh, he said he wanted to talk to the teacher before he left. What've we got next?" Hermione seemed rather distracted, playing with her hair as she walked up the steps.

Ron looked at Hermione, surprised she hadn't memorized her schedule. "_You've_ got Muggle Studies. We've gotta head up to Divination – c'mon, Harry. North Tower's not exactly anywhere close to here."

Harry glanced back and saw Mokuba coming out of the room. "Hey, wait for Mokuba. I never got a chance to show him where the North Tower was." They slowed until the black-haired boy reached them.

"Guys, from what Harry's been telling me, this is going to be the most fun you've ever had in Divination." Mokuba nearly bounced up the stairs in delight. "I can't wait to see Bakura try teaching!"

"As long as we can _breathe_ in his room, I've got no complaints."

* * *

_**Reviews **_

* * *

**Me** – Tallying votes as we speak. I'm glad you like it, though! (And it makes me sound really conceited when I type a review response back to 'Me'...)

**Samuraiduck27** – Ah, brotherly love. So cute, ne?

**Cheysuli-Night** – Tallying votes as we speak. Never thought I'd hear that either – but I'm glad you approve!

**Rain Owl** – Will do, amiga.

**Dreamstar22** – It's Ok! Don't beat yourself up! Sheesh! We all know what it's like to have one too many late nights (or mornings, if you think about it….)

**ComputerFreak101** – Here it is! Hope you like (don't kill me!)!

**Otempora** – One of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. I love you! And I'm tallying votes right now.

**Ciarda **– Glad you approve!

**Crazy Hyper Lady** – (Shudders at the thought of adding more characters) I can't keep track of the ones I have now, girl! And it's entirely possible Kurama will explode at one time or another.

**Chelley Ange**l – You are so sweet. Can I adopt you as a foster sister? Please?

**The Raging Flame Moon** – Hey, I'm sure the thing has seen people that cause it even more trouble (Imagin it Sorting YOU!). I honestly don't pity it – therefore I had to make fun of it!

**DarkRose17 **– (Wince) Tallying votes right now, hun. (Grins) I like needles!

**Flamethrowerqueen** – That's the general idea! Bishies make the world go 'round! And I'm tallying the votes right now.

**Rosedark **– (Whispers) Me too – they're perfectly matched!


	15. Trapdoors

Oi ve. I am so sorry for the lack of updates. I received the news that my family is moving to Texas (Texas!) and thus my thoughts have been…rather scattered.

Please forgive the scattered feeling this chapter provides. It's not my fault, I swear!

And the final vote for shonen ai/no shonen ai? No shonen ai is the winner by about 15 to 10. Amazing – I thought most people were highly into this. Ah well – something tells me I'd have issues writing it anyway.

On with the story!

Ryou/_Speech_/

Bakura/_Speech_/

* * *

**_Trapdoor _**

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Mokuba were just approaching the North Tower when they heard a barrage of voices from below the trapdoor. It seemed the entire class was waiting beneath it, none of them sure exactly how to get up – the step ladder had been removed.

"What's wrong?"

"Why won't this thing open?"

"Maybe we're in another classroom?"

"Maybe they cancelled the class!"

A grumble and another set of footsteps coming up the stairs behind them alerted the three to another's presence. Looking behind them, they saw the spiky haired Defense teacher.

"Stupid Bakura….can't even control his own class….what's that idiot think he's doing?"

Mokuba intercepted his path. "Hi Atemu – erm, Professor Moto. What're you doing up here?"

The pharaoh turned towards Mokuba, coming out of his disgruntled state and smiling. "Mokuba. I had a free period, and I thought I'd sit in on one of our Thief King's classes. However, I was alerted that he's not letting any of you inside the classroom. Do you know what's going on?"

Mokuba shook his head. "No – I don't think it's that he's not letting us in, it's just that there's no ladder."

Atemu smirked. "Of course. Well I'm going up to speak with him – do you wish to come?" Without waiting for a reply, he pushed his way to the underside of the open trapdoor, and sprung lightly upwards and into the room.

Shaking his head, Mokuba muttered, "Idiot," before following suit.

Ron gaped at Harry. "Did they…how? What?"

Harry laughed, trying to overlook what he'd just witnessed. "I see you've improved your language skills over the summer, mate. And no, I have no idea how they did that. Maybe it's a Japanese thing?"

"We've really got to talk tonight, alright?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'VE GOTTA GIVE THEM A LADDER TO GET UP HERE? THE USELESS MAGGOTS CAN'T JUMP THREE FEET?"

Yami's voice filtered down after Bakura's. "For them, baka, it's a great deal more than _three feet_. You trained Mokuba, yes, but for them this is ridiculous."

They heard their Divination teacher growl. "Morons. Fine, Atemu, but you _owe_ me."

"I owe you for showing you how to teach a class? Somehow that doesn't quite fit."

Mokuba subtly coughed. "Guys? You realize they can hear you from that doorway, right?"

"_Kuso_! Mokuba, get the ladder down, will you?"

With a clatter, the familiar silvery form dropped from the hole, and the class looked at it apprehensively. Professor Trelawney's old favorites, Parvati and Lavender wore looks of downright horror.

"WILL YOU IDIOTS GET UP HERE?"

"'Kura!" shouted Mokuba in a reprimanding tone, "Be nice."

All 35 students filed in, looking as if they were awaiting an execution. Gone were the pouf chairs, and (in many minds, thankfully) the overpowering scent of perfume. Instead the room had been completely redone, just as the newest Dueling room was. The walls now extended up, becoming taller than the great hall's. Ladders and platforms lined the walls, making the need for chairs pointless. Cautiously, they headed up the attached ladders, each student selecting his own platform, feet dangling off the edges.

Harry grinned diagonally down to Ron, and upwards at Mokuba. "Now this is a classroom!"

Mokuba nodded, stretched out in a rather provocative position on his stomach, face leaning over the edge. "'Kura-kun always had the greatest ideas. Just wait!"

"Alright fools," called the white haired spirit, appearing two flats away from the trio, "You're all here to learn Divination. You've all been through at least two years of this, so I won't have to convince you that it is, in fact, an art, and takes quite a bit of skill. You are all familiar with the concept of spirits – they reside in your very school." He smirked, "So I expect none of you to be shocked."

He jumped from one platform to the next with an almost catlike grace, clearing the expanse of the room at least three times before landing diagonally under the place Lavender and Parvati were resting. "I was called here," he announced, glancing around the room, "By a prophetic dream."

"Interesting…," mused a voice next to Harry, who immediately jumped. Professor Moto had appeared directly next to him without his knowledge. "I'd wondered about that."

"This dream showed _me,_" he said, stressing the last word and staring at both Atemu and Mokuba, "A lady that could only be described as a 'glittering insect' in grave danger." Snickers ran through the room – it was common knowledge that Professor Trelawney fit that bill. "Eventually, my searches led me here. I arrived in Dumbledore's office, heard a scream, and made the," he grinned, "_Epic_ trek up here." This earned him another appreciative snicker. "When we arrived, this entire room was drenched in blood – that of your late teacher's."

The expected gasps did not come – most of the class was too in shock to react, while others had guessed it when Bakura had first stepped into the Great Hall the previous night.

"Your – what is that vile subject? Arithmancy? – teacher saw the scene while I was still here. As you can see, he's no longer here either." Looking at their faces, he quickly amended, "No, he's not dead – hesimply quit. I regret to inform you, however, that your esteemed Professor Sprout hasjoined the deceased."

This sparked a reaction from the students, gasps and babbles breaking out immediately. Neville actually fell off his platform, which thankfully was only a few feet from the floor, a look of shock and distress written across his features.

"I see this is news to all of you. Good. A shock to your senses generally creates a better aura for seeing. To move on, the first thing we will be covering is Seeing the Future by Cards. I don't honestly care what kind of cards you use – many use Tarot, I use a," he smirked at Yugi and Mokuba again, "Special blend of my own based off a Muggle card game. Find what suits you best."

"First, though, a survey. Who in this room has personally used some type of foresight related card?" He glanced around the room to see Mokuba, Parvati, and Lavender's hands raised. Nodding, he gestured in the air and the walls suddenly moved closer together into a cramped amphitheatre-type style. "I want you three down here now, please."

Parvati and Lavendar cautiously climbed down the ladders, making sure of their footing (though Harry could see Ron visibly restraining himself from tripping them as they passed his ledge. As they reached the bottom, Mokuba jumped from his middle-based platform, flipping himself neatly into a fighter's crouch on the ground.

"Mokuba," drawled Bakura, "If you're going to land like you want a fight, I'll give you one. I'm sure Professor Urameshi will give us free rein of his dueling arena. However, we have to finish this class first – and I'd prefer it be without theatrics."

Mokuba smirked. "Or, _Professor_, we could have a real duel. Wouldn't that be fun?"

Atemu smiled from his perch. Seto may have taught Mokuba every piece of knowledge he could retain, and Bakura had thoroughly taught him how to fight with and without weapons and magic, but Atemu had taught him true strategy – strategy that won. Everyone who came near the youngest Kaiba would agree that he was set up for nothing short of greatness.

To his credit, Bakura kept a straight face. "Amusing. Parvati, Lavendar, I want you two to switch foretellings. I assume you have your cards with you?" The two nodded and withdrew rather sparkly cards from their bags. Grimacing in distaste, the thief spirit continued, "Good. Mokuba, you and I will trade." Surveying the three students and seeing Mokuba had pulled out his deck, he quickly declared, "Begin."

The partners switched decks, each shuffling to their own satisfaction. Parvati and Lavendar stopped almost immediately after the Professor's. Giving the decks back to their respective owners, they began to lay out their formations – Mokuba's and Bakura's a semi-circle, Parvati's and Lavendar's in straight rows.

"A-ace of Cups," stumbled Parvati. "You'll, um, receive a new object that glitters."

"The Tower," motioned Lavendar in return with a bit more grace in her speech, "You need to be watchful of burns, scrapes, and other minor physical injuries."

Bakura and Mokuba raised eyebrows at each other from across the table. Mokuba moved to turn over his first card at the same time as Bakura, when both cards flew out of their hands, burning in the air. Lavendar and Parvati gasped, covering their mouth with perfectly manicured nails, and as Mokuba looked quizzically at the cards in front of him, the whole table rattled and the cards flew back into neat piles by their respective owners.

Bakura frowned, eyes glittering dangerously as he looked upwards at Atemu; the pharaoh held his hands up in a defensive gesture, indicating it wasn't his doing.

/_Ryou, get them out of here. Immediately. The girls and Mokuba stay._/

/_One classroom evacuation coming up, 'Kura._/

As Bakura's (now Ryou's) head rose, his eyes and voice became softer, more musical. "Everyone out, please. As a notice, I'd like to say that you will _never _receive homework from this class, though research and reports on whatever we're studying will count towards extra credit. In return, I expect you to be able to hold your own without much trouble. Class dismissed. Mokuba, Miss Patil, and Miss Brown please stay behind."

/_I'll take it from here, thank you._/

/_Alright, but I'm eating dinner for us. Never again do I want raw steak in this body._/

/_Deal. We'll discuss the behavior of the cards later._/

Atemu was the last one to make his exit, and he nodded as Ryou and Bakura switched bodies. Bakura glared at the two girls, seeing everyone had left. "I stopped you earlier because I was involved in my own foretellings. However, I must impress upon you the seriousness of this trade. Your cards _will not_ predict trivial things. Burns, scrapes, receiving a," he grimaced, "sparkly object – telling futures is not about such small matters. Every card telling you complete correctly will have life – not necessarily your life, mind you – but still, _life altering_ foretellings. You both have great potential, but I must warn you; step up your understanding or you will become nothing more than great frauds. Your teacher – Trelawney, I believe her name was? She possessed more potential than you two ever will, and traveled down the road you now occupy. Any person in this class will tell you she knew nothing of her art – any, that is, that were not blinded by smoke and mirrors. You may go."

He smirked towards Mokuba. "And I expect you to give Atemu hell in his class. I've more of those fireworks if you need them."

Mokuba watched the two girls climb down the ladder, shoving his deck back into his schoolbag. "Nope, I've got my own idea, thanks. You're welcome to join in the class if you want, though. I'm sure Atemu would," his eyes glimmered, "Appreciate it."

"I just might. Though, I've got a little work to do before then." He leaned down with a conspiratorial smirk and quickly soundproofed his hikari's soulroom. "You've got everything for tomorrow, correct?"

"Correct," said Mokuba. He made his way silently down the ladder.

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_**Reviews**_

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**To Kitroku, ComputerFreak101, RBMIfan, Samuraiduck27, Sugarpony, abcdefg, Duenna, Kenmeishouri, Fanfic Maniac, …, and Rosedark** – Here ya go, and thank you so much for reviewing!

**Emiko **– (Blocks daggers with life-size portrait of Kurama) Play nice.

**Inuicedragon **– I love your name. Thanks for the review.

**Brigitte** – Awww….you're the best. Glad I could do something successfully for you.

**Darkrose 17** – You've made yourself completely clear, thanks. And I won't call you hun. It just slips into my vocabulary sometimes.

**Dymond **– …Glad to see I could further your education? Thank you!

**Ciarda **– (Muses on those odds) I'd say they're pretty good, actually.

**Thalia16 **– Sorry the beginning's confusing. I'll eventually go back and rewrite it, I swear. I might work some subtle hinting in….

**Crazy Hyper Lady** – There's an all too good chance of that happening, actually. Though 'explode' might not be the right word.

**The Raging Flame Moon** – Don't fight with your alternate personalities, it's not good for your mental health.

**Starlet36** – I'm glad you think it's original. Thank you so much!

**ChelleyAngel **– Yay! I've got another metaphorical sister! And I'm sure Hiei knows this…..he just refuses to accept it.

**Pop Angle** – Here you go! ((Hope it wasn't a failure…))

**Misawa Kaitou** – Thank you so much. I think Mokuba's uber-cool too. He's like an all knowing, all seeing little manipulator.

**Killah-Sama** – I didn't understand a word of that after the first line, but thank you nonetheless!

**Windwitch **– (Twitch) I think I'll stay away from Kurama/Botan for the sake of keeping my head on my shoulders. PenPusherM would literally murder me at school.

**RainOwl **– I'm so glad you think so! Thanks!

**Ginnitsune** – Point taken, and thank you.


	16. The Divine Proportion of Chocolate

Really, I do truly swear this ISN'T as short as it looks. It's the same amount of words as the last chapter…..but the paragraphs are longer and it LOOKS shorter.

I really, truly tried. I'm sorry. I'm….a little freaked out over moving to Texas. Anyone out there from said state that can reassure me?

Did I not make it clear that Trelawney _died_? In like, Chapter 3? Yes, I recall lots of blood and a dead Trelawney inhabiting Chapter 3. Oh well…..

Enjoy! And I do not (contrary to what the voices in my head tell me) own HP, YGO, or YYH.

* * *

_**The Divine Proportion of Chocolate**_

* * *

Hermione set down her books, wishing for the second time that day she hadn't taken so many classes apart from her friends. Obviously Divination was no longer an option – she had Muggle Studies her first day at the same time Ron and Harry had their first taste of the new Divination teacher – but one out of three classes together in an entire day wasn't enough to make them feel like close companions. 

She'd noticed a rift beginning to form between them, even at the end of their fifth year. It wasn't a conscious effort on anyone's part; just the differences of times and spaces. Being in different dormitories, different classes, being aware of different inside jokes – it all made for a distance between them that, apparently, only she could see.

A sharp jab on the shoulder interrupted her silent soliloquy and brought her back to reality. A black-haired face looked inquisitively at her, and she scanned her brain for his name. Finally finding it, she nodded and acknowledged his presence. "Mokuba! I'm sorry, I didn't know you were there. This is your brother's class, isn't it?"

His purple eyes seemed to laugh at her. "Yeah. Glad to see your thoughts are back on Earth for our last class of the day. You were starting to scare me a little. You're taking Arithmancy too?"

She quickly nodded, frizzy hair bobbing. "I've been taking it since my third year – I really love it!"

Mokuba toyed with the Gryffindor tie at his neck with distaste, finally wrenching it off and throwing it in his nearby bag. As he undid the first few buttons of his shirt, he fixed Hermione with a serious look, beckoning with his finger as if revealing a secret. "Just promise me something, OK?"

"What?"

He whispered behind a concealing hand, looking uncannily like a five year old trapped in a teenager's body. "You won't be scared of my brother. Sing at him, laugh at him, whatever it takes – don't let him intimidate you. That's what he's going to do this first class; see the way the desks are set? This is a replica of his business board. Even the chairs – his is set to be comfortable and overbearing; it's higher than ours, see? Only by a few inches, though."

As Hermione looked around, she had to admit this was true. The head of the long table (built a bit like the House tables in the Great Hall) was furnished with comfortable chairs that spun, but each was a forbidding black color. The one obviously reserved for the elder Kaiba had been raised a few inches, and when the already tall professor sat in it, she guessed he'd be able to look down at anyone in his classroom. Students were edging away from the front, preferring seats in the back that would obviously be away from the cantankerous professor.

She set her shoulders in a determined stance and picked up her bag again. "Then we'll just have to impress him back, won't we?"

Mokuba grinned as he saw her settle into the chair at the left hand of the table's head, gesturing for Mokuba to take the right. She drew a hair tie out of her filled-to-bursting bag and wrapped her hair into a forbidding bun. Ron and Harry would have immediately commented she looked like a young McGonagall. Slapping a few traditional ball-point pens and a thick notebook onto the table, she reached under the chair for the lever that raised the height above that of the Professor's.

As the younger Kaiba brother seated himself, the classroom door slammed shut of it's own accord, making a few student yelp and jump to their seats. A quiet descended upon the class as Seto appeared ("Out of nowhere!" a few students would later swear.) and sat at the head of the table. A purple trenchcoat flared out from behind him before he sat, making an impressive figure. Piercing blue eyes scanned every face at the table, searching for students that would meet and hold his glare.

"Is anyone missing from this class?" A short pause which was responded to with stunned looks. "Nevermind – it doesn't matter. Anyone not in the classroom at this time will not attend my class for the rest of the year." He smiled slowly, seeing Mokuba and Hermione seated nearest to him and the lack of students for at least four chairs down the line.

"To work, then." Slender white fingers pressed a nearby panel on a laptop that rose from the underside of the table in a slick, fluid motion. A hologram appeared in the middle of the table, featuring a man with a thoughtful pose. "Who recognizes this man?"

A hand with manicured nails was elegantly raised at the foot of the table. Hermione squinted, then recognized the hand's owner as none other than Draco Malfoy, who shared the class with her since third year. His voice rang out in a clear, collected tone, "Leonardo da Vinci."

Seto nodded, pleased with the readiness of the answer. "Correct. Da Vinci is accredited to the discovery of the Divine Proportion, roughly equal to one-point-six-one-eight. Also called PHI, the Divine Proportion gives the shape of the entire Universe, and is can be found in the human body. The Great Masters, such as Leonardo da Vinci," he clicked another button, and an image of the Mona Lisa appeared, "_Always_ used the Divine Proportion in their masterpieces. One can find the Golden Number in Mona Lisa's features, as the ratio between the height and the width of her face. Or vice-versa, as the ratio between the width and the height of her despondent face.

"Some think of the Golden Number as the Fibonacci series. In fact, the ratio of any two consecutive numbers in the Fibonacci series tends to approximate the Divine Proportion. The ratio will be equal to the Golden Number in a series with an infinite number of elements. It's the mathematical 'Stairway' to and from Heaven, from minus Infinite to plus Infinite, and infinitely vice versa. Not only did it lead to such a divine visual masterpiece, Mona Lisa, it also brought to life a recent _Muggle_ audio masterpiece: Led Zeppelin's _Stairway to Heaven_. This is yet another reason I suggest you take Muggle Studies – the two can be incredibly linked. Muggle technologies indicate that the distance between the notes of _Stairway to Heaven_ can be represented by the PHI golden number.

"The golden ratio was first studied by ancient mathematicians due to its frequent appearance in geometry. The golden ratio seems to have been understood and used in greatest depth by the Egyptians." Here, Mokuba smiled at his brother and a model of the Pyramid of Giza and a Sphinx showed on the holograms. "The discovery of irrational numbers, numbers which can only be precisely expressed as a ratio or a mixed number which includes a square root is usually attributed to Pythagoras or to Hippasus of Metapontum. Over the next few days, we will study this number – I want a report on my desk by next week, preferably in _normal, Muggle_ pen. I don't see any practicality behind quills – neatness should never be sacrificed for tradition."

"Everyone, please select two partners and take a tape measurer from the front basket. We're going to explore PHI in human anatomy first. Take measurements of any part of your partners' bodies – as long as I don't have to send you to the headmaster for sexual harassment – and we'll catalogue which parts match up to PHI. Start with basic measurements such as the top of the head to the elbow versus the top of the head to the longest finger, then work your way to something more intricate. This sheet will show you starting points and outline your assignment." Papers appeared in front of each pupil, printed on blue paper with a dark black ink.

There was a rush to take partners who wouldn't offend each other, and in finality Hermione ended up with Mokuba and Draco as her associates. Draco and Hermione had long since reached an understanding in this class – as the top students, both acted civilly towards each other, working together as often as possible. Everything that happened in Arithmancy was never to be mentioned outside of class for fear of ruining a subject that both thoroughly enjoyed – the words 'mudblood' and 'bastard pureblood' never escaped either's mouths. They worked very well together, both seeing patterns and occasionally pointing out something the other didn't understand. It was Hermione's secret fear that Harry and Ron would discover her truce and hound her mercilessly for it, but the ruse had held together for three years and she didn't see it disintegrating anytime soon.

Mokuba mused over the paper in front of him, summing up the measurements already taken from Draco, who was currently being assaulted by the tape measurer moving with direction from Mokuba's wand. "Alright, we've got face length, face width, hip to floor – Draco, you prat, don't _move_ – knee to floor, middle finger to elbow, middle finger to shoulder….does this remind anyone of Ollivanders? Hi Seto!"

Seto grimaced at the memory. "Please don't remind me of that horrid shop ever again. You've ruined the lesson for me, little brother." He smirked at Hermione. "He's a horrible little runt, I know, but do try to put up with him for my sake, Miss….?"

"Granger!" she squeaked, grabbing his hand immediately, though it had never been offered.. "My name's Hermione Granger. It's such an honor to meet you! And I hope it didn't ruin the lesson for you – it was ever so interesting and I don't think we've ever had anything this hands-on for Arithmancy…" Hermione's words flew out of her mouth at an alarming rate, leaving Draco staring at her as the measuring device flew around his ankles.

"That's….wonderful, Miss Granger," stated Seto slowly, as if to a small child. Mokuba discreetly kicked him in the shin to make his brother add a painful smile to the comment. "Though I must admit," he added, turning back to Mokuba and ruffling his younger sibling's hair, "I'm rather hurt that no one asked _me_ to join their group. Teacher or no, I like to be included as anyone else." He pivoted on his heel and walked away to check on a second group's proceedings.

Mokuba smiled fondly as his brother paced away, his voice distant and thoughtful. "This place is so good for him. I wonder what effect it's having on the spirits…?"

Draco and Hermione quickly exchanged glances, and Hermione mouthed, "Spirits?" Draco shrugged in return, a curious look gracing his features.

As they left the classroom, many students noticed that the bottom of their assignment sheet stated, "The team that find the highest number of correlations will receive a generous amount of Honeyduke's best chocolate."

And Mokuba smiled.

* * *

_**Reviews**_

* * *

**SamuraiDuck27** – I….actually don't know what they're planning yet. I'm horrible.

**Kitsune Moon** – I….don't know the answer to that either. The cards are mysterious, I guess, though a reason shall arise! And if they're not in a shonen-ai setting, they're not dating anyone, so feel free to admire from afar.

**Dymond **– Wait…they caught on fire? Oh dear, did I write that? (Sighs) Ah well….I'll work around it.

**Kenmeishouri** – Of course it's not a big deal….to a thief king.

**Chelley Angel **– No, you voted, I think. I'm sorry. I know it sucks.

**Alex** – Nope, no shonen-ai; we've already discussed this. And thank you ever so much!

**Killah-Sama** – Yes, well, I tend to view Harry as rather uncultured through no fault of his own.

**Starlet36** – I….thought I made it clear she was dead in like, Chapter 3. Apparently not.

**Ototo** – Thank you.

**The Raging Flame Moon **– I don't feel sorry for him either, actually. He's pharaoh – he'll deal with it.

**Akira Tosiyama** – I'm sorry if I've offended you with swearing.

**Darkdaisy **– We'll see, m'dear, we'll see.

**Crazy Hyper Lady** – Alright, before you kill me, I'd like to say I started on Kurama's class, but was inspired by a friend on Seto's…..and just couldn't resist! I'm so sorry!

**Rosedark** – We all love him. He's the greatest! (Squees Bakura plushie)

**Misawa Kaitou** – Only time will tell, m'dear, only time will tell.

… - Thank you.

**RainOwl **– Author_ess_, actually. And I'm so glad you liked it!

**Latin101 **– Hooray and amen to that. Glad to see you got an account!


	17. Surprise!

I'm here, really I am. I have not died, nor have I abandoned you all.

Please, put down the pitchforks.

Pretty please?

And (double checks) nope, I don't own anything in here that anyone would want. So lawyers – go away. I don't like you.

Oh – someone was commenting Yugi would look really weird with his hair pulled back. I admit, I was a skeptic too, until I saw this. It's by Lizeth (My personal hero for writing History of Magic). Take out the spaces and add slashes where appropriate. http / www . deviantart . com / view / 3418346 /.

* * *

_**Surprise!**_

* * *

"Tape."

"Here!"

"Scissors!"

"Got 'em!"

"More wrapping paper! Stat!"

"…."

"Seto!"

"What? Just because all of you are going crazy over this thing doesn't mean I have to."

"Arrrghhh….Yusuke, hand over the paper."

"You want the one with the funky gold balls that fly or the stuff that sings?"

"Are we going for obnoxious or traditional?"

"Obnoxious, obviously."

"Singing, then."

"No, no. Put the singing stuff under the snitches."

"Yugi, I think that's enough tape…."

"Nah, just a little more…."

Ryou's birthday being tomorrow, the whole gang had sprung into action. Actually, it had been Bakura's idea first – the spirit had pestered every member of the staff for the last two weeks about not forgetting 'his' birthday. Somehow, Yugi had been put in charge of wrapping the presents, though _that _particular folly had been quickly discovered - the box now resembled little more than a mass of paper encoated in tape.

Ryou was actually in the room, though he couldn't actually sense anything. Bakura being in control worked better than any blindfold, and the spirit now got to help with the preparations. He and Mokuba were currently poring over a giant poster, attempting to paint, "Happy Birthday, Ryou!" embossed with little figurehead drawings of each of the gang.

The painting was in about the same shape as Yugi's wrapping paper.

Seto looked at the poster with disdain. "Really, you two, I could just print out a banner…."

Mokuba beamed up at him. "But then it wouldn't be half so much fun! Besides, this," he put on a dramatic face that Seto was forced to roll his eyes at, "Comes from the _heart!_"

"Suit yourself."

Hiei and Botan came through the door – the blue haired ferrygirl looking immensely pleased with herself. "They'll do it!"

A short cheer erupted from every member of the room save Seto and Hiei. "That's great, Botan-kun! I'm so happy you made friends with the house elves!"

Botan nodded. She'd returned from the kitchens, where she'd asked the miniature servants to prepare nothing but desserts for breakfast – Bakura had informed her that Ryou had an immense sweet tooth. Hiei had accompanied her, claiming the need to restrain the ferrygirl from anything too rash. "They're so helpful!" she exclaimed fondly. "And so polite, too! Anyone seen Kurama yet?"

"I'm here," came a voice from the entryway. "We've got some good news and some bad. I found a charm to make the suits of armor sing tomorrow, but we're going to have to scrap the sprite choir. They're all rather….unsociable around here. Oh, and here's a duplicating charm for the banners, and the password to post one in each room."

Yugi's spiked hair poked out from amongst an increasing pile of wrapping paper. "Great – we can split the rooms by levels to distribute the posters, then whoever finishes first can come back and start on more. Too bad about the sprites, though. Gah – I can't _believe_ it's almost 2 AM!"

The red haired vulpine shook his head and crossed the room to inspect the banner masterpiece. "Yes, well, you can't have everything." Squinting and cocking his head at the form representing himself, he snatched a paintbrush from Bakura's hand. "Can I just fix this, please? Thanks." In a few quick flourishes, the figure began to somewhat resemble himself. "Much better."

Snatching the paintbrush back, Bakura swiped the artistry utensil across the other thief's face, leaving a bright red mark across his nose. A stunned Kurama stared at him as he declared with a flambouyant gesture, "Then let the fun begin!"

He was immediately tackled to the ground by an irate kitsune.

"Guys! Stop fighting or we'll _never_ get these banners up!"

* * *

Hermione awoke from a rather pleasant dream – involving Crabbe and Goyle being chased by a giant basilisk – eye level with someone's arse.

"Eep!" The bushy-haired girl tumbled off the fourposter bed, landing in a heap of blankets at the feet of the mysterious intruder.

"Sh! Ms. Granger, please don't scream. I'm sorry for scaring you. I'll be gone in a few seconds."

Hermione's eyes widened as she realized whom she was staring up at. "Professor Kurama? What are you doing here? You're a man! In the girl's dormitory! How did you even get in here?"

She saw a flash of white teeth in the darkness and her oddest Professor's ears twitched. "That's my little secret. Suffice to say that I won't hurt you – I just need to get this hung – _Adhaeresco!_" He flicked his wand towards a banner that floated to the top of the ceiling – the banner bore no words at the time. "Please go back to sleep."

"No!" she whispered vehemently back. "I want to know what you're doing here!"

"I told you – just getting this thing," he gestured towards the banner, "Hung. And looking at your wide array of hair-care products."

She blinked slowly. "My – wait, what? Oh, nevermind. You've got your sign hung, now go away." She sleepily crawled back into her bed, not bothering to feign off drowsiness. "I'm going back to sleep."

Kurama smirked. "My thoughts exactly." As the Gryffindor girl returned to slumbering, he left a bottle on her nightstand. "Sweet dreams…."

* * *

The next morning found every student in the Great Hall engaged in gossip. A small group had gathered around Hermione – who was trying to explain why _exactly_ her hair seemed to be behaving today.

"And he came into my room, and hung a banner on the wall – didn't have any writing on it, it was the weirdest thing – and I fell asleep before he left –"

Parvati gasped from somewhere down the table. "Hermione! You fell asleep with a strange man in your dormitory? What are you thinking?"

"Oh, shut up, Parvati. Anyway, I think he left this vial in my room. I tried it on my hair, because it was right in the middle of all the other stuff I use for my mane, and I was thinking, 'Wow, wouldn't it be nice if my hair would go up in one of those really nice buns with hair falling out the sides?' and it did! Without me doing anything! It was so great!"

"So what's with these banner things anyway?" whispered Harry to a rather tired Mokuba.

The black haired boy grinned impishly. "Oh, you'll see."

A flurry of movement at the teacher's table caught everyone's attention. Yusuke leapt onto the center of the edifice, directly in front of the headmaster. "Yo! Imps! Listen up!" A quiet descended upon the hall.

Nodding with mock serenity, Yusuke continued. "Before we start breakfast, I've got an important announcement to make! Today," he grinned as Bakura released control and Ryou's innocent face was let out, "Is Professor Ryou Bakura's birthday!" He shot a small line of Spirit Energy towards the ceiling, and streamers, confetti, and even the occasional bird rained out from every corner of the school. "Happy birthday, Ryou!"

Both the students and Ryou sat in stunned silence as glitter drifted into their hair. Dean and Seamus smirked evilly and started a chant of, "Speech, speech, speech!" that was quickly taken up by the rest of the school.

Clearly still in shock, but now smiling slightly, Ryou rose slowly from his seat. "Um, I…don't know what to say. Thank you." He smiled to all of the newest teachers. "Thank you so much."

Yusuke bent down towards him, and in a stage whisper, announced, "This is the part where you say 'Let them all eat cake!'"

Ryou raised an eyebrow. "Let them all eat….cake?"

Breakfast appeared, and sweets of every kind materialized throughout the tables. A cake taller than Ryou appeared on the floor in front of the head table, labeled "Happy Birthday Ryou!" The banners immediately proclaimed the same message.

"These are the best teachers ever!" proclaimed Ron through a mouthful of sugar.

And everyone agreed. At least until the singing suits of armor arrived.

* * *

_**Reviews **_

* * *

This is getting ridiculous. TWENTY-FOUR REVIEWS! I love you all, but have no room to respond to each and every one of you. So a big thank you goes out to all these poor authors/authoresses. Go read their stuff!

**PenPusherM, Starlet36, Samuraiduck27, ComputerFreak101, Sugarpony, Crazy Hyper Lady, FlameThrowerQueen, DBZ Warrior1, Lazeralk, Dark Sorceress of Egypt, Seto's Obbsessive Stalker, Latin 101, Dymond, Chelley Angel, …, The Raging Flame Moon, Stormrose Dewleaf, RainOwl, Alex, Bloody Cross, Jak'Idiot, yllom21, Akira Tosiyama, **and **Kenmeishouri.**


	18. Crimson Blood on White Hair

Heyla to all you readers…. No, I have not abandoned you! Really, I swear. I'm still writing, I just got rather bogged down with homework and our trip to Texas. Poor excuse, I know, but there it is. Put down the tomatoes.

So, finally, I give you the chapter in which Kurama commences with teaching. You have no idea how many people have been threatening to murder me if I didn't do this _now. _I have come to realize that reviewers are, in fact, quite vicious. And descriptive in torture methods.

Disclaimer: Ha. Ha-ha-ha-HA. I wish. I only own the random characters, and I don't really even own them, because they're modeled after friends. And myself. Which I suppose I sort of own, though my parents beg to differ on that point. I realize I'm rambling, and coming close to annoying y'all. (Speaking of which, how the hell do Texan people manage to say 'Y'all'all're frum Minnesoooooota?' without getting tongue-tied? I've been trying all week and have only succeeded in creeping out my cat, who now avoids me like I've grown an extra head.)

Oh, right. /_Blah_/ is Ryou to Bakura/_Blah_/ is Bakura to Ryou, and '_Blah_' is the thoughts of whichever poor character I'm giving lines.

Enjoy!

* * *

**_Crimson Blood on White Hair_**

* * *

Harry tapped his quill impatiently on the table he stood near, impatient for the lesson to begin. They had Herbology with the Ravenclaws, he noticed, as a blonde and a redhead strolled through the door wearing the appropriate gold and blue scarves.

"So, like, when are you totally going to set me up with that blind date?"

"Um, like, as soon as I get Daine's depression issues sorted out, I think."

"Oh, that's _right_, she's having a horrible day, isn't she?"

"_Totally!_ I mean, she's riding the cri–"

A large crash interrupted their conversation, and they both screamed as glass shards rained down from a windowpane directly above them and slightly to the left. Harry whipped out his wand, pointing it at a white-haired stranger who had just landed in the middle of their classroom.

_Wait. That's Professor Bakura! Where'd _he _come from? _Slightly embarrassed, he pointed his wand from the glass shards on the floor to the pane of broken glass above them and muttered a quick, "_Reparo!"_ to cover his folly. He backed away, standing near a large (_Ten feet if it's an inch,_ he thought) plant – it formed an upside down bell shape, with colorful red insides and vibrantly green outsides, dripping what seemed to be a thick, purple sap.

Bakura, ignoring Harry altogether, came out of his landing position and growled, shaking leaves out of his hair. "Kurama!" he barked. "Where is that blasted pseudo-thief?"

The plant beside Harry began to wriggle, until finally the top split just far enough to reveal his Herbology Professor, who climbed out, covered in yet more sap. "Well," he said, looking at his hands in disgust, "I think we've determined _that_ one's carnivorous. _Scourgify._" He appeared clean again and sighed slightly in what seemed to be relief. Students edged away from the plant, looking as if it would swallow them at any time. "And Bakura, I'd prefer you not call me a thief, pseudo or otherwise, inside my classroom, if you will."

The white-haired thief waved a hand impatiently. "Fine, fine, whatever you say. I'm just here to observe – and get away from those creepy suits of armor. You realize they never stop singing? Never!" He shook his head in disgust and glared as a few overdue Gryffindors (to include Hermione, Mokuba and Ron) entered the greenhouse. "But I don't think they can come out of the main building, so I'll just hang out here."

Kurama rolled his eyes in a less-than-discreet manner. "Alright, stay put. And no sarcastic comments, please."

Bakura smirked, tossing his white hair as he did so. He then jumped into a branch of a nearby, harmless tree, which caused a great many of the students to gasp. Harry, less surprised than the others because of the performance the thief had put on for his Divination class, motioned for Hermione, Ron and Mokuba to join him at the table as Bakura gave a mock salute to the red-haired professor.

It seemed Professor Kurama was the only one to have kept the design of his former teacher's room. A long, wooden table big enough for all the students in the class to be seated around had been scrubbed clean of dirt, though no lacquer had been put on it. The center was hollowed out, a tree growing from its center. The edges of the room housed plants of all kinds, including the one Kurama had been inside as class started.

A bell tolled in the distant castle, signaling the beginning of class. Kurama scanned the room as the students took their seats, staring back at him expectantly. As the silence between teacher and pupils extended, Kurama finally took two steps forward, bending to be nose and nose with the student nearest him, which happened to be Ron.

Ron looked a bit startled, but, true to Gryffindor nature, stared right back until Kurama drew away and nodded to himself.

"How long," he said softly, "Have you all been taking this class, Mr. Weasely?"

"Th-the entire time we've been at school. This'll be our sixth year," said Ron in a stumbling voice, still unnerved by seeing Kurama so up-close. The clarity of the green eyes flecked with gold seemed to have shaken him slightly.

Kurama nodded again, taking steps around the table to a more frontal position of the classroom. "And," he said in a louder voice, "How many of you are here because you _truthfully_ enjoy this class?" He smiled as almost the entire room raised its hands. "Come now – I won't be offended. And I specified that you liked the subject, not," he cast a glance at a small group of girls that had been staring at him with lustful looks since they'd gotten here, "The people inside it."

Hands slowly lowered, leaving only about a third still with raised hands. Neville, Hermione, and Mokuba were among those whose hands stretched upwards, while Harry and Ron's stayed on the table – they'd agreed long ago that Herbology was not something to be contended with.

"Thank you. You may put your hands down. How many of you have an aversion to this subject because you believe plants are not, shall we say, exciting?"

Several students raised their hands again, cautiously, as though suspecting a trap. Kurama smiled – Harry immediately drew parallels to Dumbledore's expression – and said in a soft voice, "Then I believe a field trip is in order. Outside, please."

The students filed quickly out the door, whispering the whole way.

* * *

"Harry, where are we going?" whispered Ron apprehensively. "It looks like we're heading towards….but he wouldn't let us, would he?"

"I don't know….maybe we're just observing?" replied Harry. "I mean, it's not like he can just throw us at it and expect us to come out alive."

"We're still heading towards it…" warned Hermione. "This is so not good."

"What are you all worried about?" asked Mokuba quizzically. "It's just a tree."

Ron looked to Mokuba as if he'd grown an extra head. "It's an evil tree! It's hits people! It's….it's…."

"The Whomping Willow, I believe you call this tree, am I correct?" The four's attention snapped back to Professor Kurama as he stopped a good twenty feet from the branches' reach – which was still far too close for most students. "Does anyone see how I'm going to convince you that Herbology is exciting?" He looked around, and the students stared back blankly, though Harry saw a smile growing on Mokuba's face.

"No one?" Kurama sighed, nearing exasperation at the student's lack of confidence. "Fine." He stared into the crowd, searching for a head of white hair. "Bakura, would you care to assist me?"

"Definitely." Several students jumped – they'd somehow missed the teacher standing in the middle of them.

/_Bakura…._/

/_What?_/ Called Bakura back through the mind link, teeth clenched. /_I'm going to show that damned kitsune who's the better thief if it's the last thing I do._/

/_I…oh, nevermind._/ Ryou sighed and made a mental shooing motion. /_Don't show off too much_./

/_Good answer._/

"Alright, fox-boy. What're we doing?" Bakura sneered as he faced Kurama.

"Proving Herbology is exciting," whispered Kurama so only Bakura was within hearing distance.

"Meaning?" Bakura mumbled back.

"You get your wish. We'll spar in the tree branches."

Bakura snorted. "We will not. Thieves do not spar. Thieves steal. It's a cute little hobby of ours – you may have tried it a time or two?"

Kurama sighed, then faced the class. "Does anyone have a small object we can use? I won't guarantee you'll get it back."

Nearly every girl in the class immediately dived for their bags, pulling out lipstick containers, mascara tubes, and candies. Bakura looked as though he was holding back the urge to laugh as Kurama sweat dropped.

Neville, however, saved the day by offering up his long-abused Remembrall. "Um, will this work, sir?" he asked cautiously, holding the glass ball up, which immediately turned red.

Kurama sighed in relief. "Perfectly, Mr. Longbottom. Thank you. Throw it here, if you will." The throw went off course – not surprising considering Neville's lack of coordination – and Bakura ended up catching deftly in his left hand.

"Now what?" Bakura looked at Kurama levelly. "You've got a ball and tree that hits things. Got a plan to go with this, baka?"

Kurama plucked the small sphere from Bakura's hands. "Yes," he intoned, and threw the ball into the air, where it was caught in the tree's branches, "I do. First one to get the ball from the tree without hitting the ground wins."

"Wins what?"

Kurama's eye twitched slightly. "I don't care. Bragging rights."

Bakura grinned. "Good enough for me! But none of your damn plant-master crap. Wits and agility alone, fox-boy."

"Agreed."

* * *

"They're not serious, are they?" asked Hermione, her face showing extreme anxiety.

Mokuba shook his head in remorse. "Sadly enough, they are. Now watch, will you? 'Kura's been dying to do this since we first got here."

"What, get himself ripped to shreds by a tree?" said Ron, astounded.

"Bakura doesn't – oh, jeez, that could've hurt – see it that way. He doesn't exactly, how would you put it? It's almost as though he enjoys pain. Or the challenge in front of it. I'm not quite sure."

The two thieves had already swung themselves into the branches, keeping their balance with an amazing sense of grace. However, the Whomping Willow seemed less than inclined to let them near the Remembrall – neither had been able to reach it.

The tree was also putting up a great fight of it's own, whacking at the two professors with a great amount of enthusiasm. The two had only gotten in a few spare kicks at each other – most of their attention was diverted to the tree.

And almost rhythmic pattern fell over the two as a light mist came over the grounds. Step, step, jump. Step, step, lunge. Step, step, jump. Step, step, reach. Step, step…

_Slip._

Kurama's footing faltered for a split second on the slippery branches, and he grabbed the branch below him for support. '_I will not fall…I will _not_ fall._'

'_Got him!_' Bakura lunged, aiming for the red-haired demon's midsection, and flew through the air. Kurama would land on the ground below, unscathed but for his pride. The Whomping Willow, it seemed, sensed his intentions, and moved a branch with spearlike twigs underneath the demon. Not to catch him….

To kill him.

/_Bakura, no!_/ Ryou raged inside his yami's head. /_You can't! He'll die!_/

/_Like hell I can't, hikari!_/ snarled Bakura. /_I'll -_/

But what Bakura would do, no one ever found out. A branch of the Willow took advantage of his inattention, and knocked him viciously in the back of the head. A large crack came from his skull, and a bit of his white hair was stained red. As he fell, unconscious, it came for yet another attack.

And the screaming began as Mokuba dashed forward, aiming for a small knot in the tree.

* * *

Ryou's eyes fluttered open, surveying his surroundings. He immediately shut them, thankful for the blackness, though the memories witnessed through his other's eyes came back in a rush. "Eep! Down, down! Go back down!"

"That's how you thank you rescuer?" Ryou heard a feminine voice call from the front of the contraption he was slung across – an oar? '_She must have picked me up before the Willow could reach me…_'

"Botan? I…umm….thank you." Ryou cracked his eyes open, and, still finding himself much too high off the ground for his liking, stuttered, "Now can we please go down? I….I don't really like heights."

Botan sighed, and landed near the students. "Fine, take away all my fun. But you really are lucky I was there. That tree almost killed you, you know. Kurama too!"

Kurama stepped towards the two of them, leaving a bewildered class behind. "I'm just fine, Botan. Mostly thanks to Mokuba, though. That knot," he gestured towards the tree, "Apparently freezes the whole thing for a limited amount of time."

Botan turned to him, worry gracing her features. "Speaking of which, you'd better have a good reason for not using your power over plants, Kurama! You almost had the both of you dead!"

A cold look passed over Kurama's eyes. "Botan, you of all people should know a demon's promise is binding. I told him I would not, under any circumstances, use my powers." He smiled again. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a class to finish. Would you please take Ryou up to the Hospital Wing? If that headwound isn't taken care of, I believe you'll have to take up your old occupation of Grim Reaper."

* * *

"So," questioned Kurama, smirking again, "Who still thinks Herbology is mind-numbing?"

The class shifted restlessly. "If we raise our hands, will you show _us_ how to do that?" queried a girl in the back.

Kurama laughed. "I may just show you how whether you like my class or not."

"Awesome!"

The red-haired demon looked around one more time. "Any other questions?"

Mokuba gained an evil smirk. "What's with the ears, Kurama?"

Kurama glared at the black-haired boy. "A simple practical joke I've come rather attached to," he lied smoothly. "You're dismissed."

They filed out of the room, confused, and Mokuba grabbed Kurama's hand, mumbling something about going up to see Ryou in the Hospital Wing.

* * *

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Love you all! (Now review again - please?)


	19. Two Pseudo Corpses

**Authoress Notes That Can Be Skipped Without Great Consequence**

Ah yes, the best for last. The _longest_ for last (it'll be another chapter before we're finished here). I give you….Atemu's Class of Doom.

Well, not really of _doom_, per say….more of a 'Let the rest of the world run screaming' sort of class in which I take a brave stab at the art of Keeping Atemu In Character. Halfway through I was about ready to give up and make him dance around wearing nothing buy Dobby's tea cozy and see what kind of reviews I'd get.

By the by, I'll probably go back and start editing the beginning chapters now – they're starting to bother me. _Really_ bother me.

Also, I'd like to formally apologize to anyone I offended in the last Authoress Note section. I have nothing against Texas or the people there! And if it makes you feel better, at least three little children ran up to me while I was there and said something to the effect of, "Why do you talk so funny?"

Disclaimer: As my darling Chelley Angel put it: Saying I own anything from here is like saying that the ocean is purple because of the leopards. It's just not right.

* * *

**_Two Pseudo Corpses_**

* * *

_Crash._

"Mr. Bakura, _please_ stay put! You're bleeding all over my office!" Madame Pomfrey stood in the middle of her infirmary, shooting stunning spells at a quickly moving target – who, she had to admit, was dodging rather well, considering the gaping headwound.

However, just because he avoided her spells didn't mean he avoided any of the breakable objects in the room. She rather suspected he was aiming for them just to goad her into being even more irate than she already was.

_Thump. Crash-Crash-**Bang**._

"Get away from me, you crazy old hag!" snarled Bakura. "You're not coming anywhere near me with that glop!"

"It's just a simple healing potion!"

"It tastes like shit!" retorted Bakura, crashing into a large table of beakers, shattering them on the floor. "And common sense tells me to _not drink it!_"

The door to the ward opened slowly, and Mokuba and Kurama stepped in, ducking as potion from the broken beakers flew over their heads.

Mokuba looked on in horror. "'Kura, what are you _doing?_"

"Avoiding the psychopathic nurse!"

"She's just trying to help!"

"Is not!" growled Bakura with conviction, "She's trying to kill me!"

Mokuba tugged on one of his black locks of hair (a nervous habit he'd developed somewhere along the line) and turned to Kurama. "Alright, you get Yusuke. I'm going for Atemu. Meet back in two minutes?"

Kurama nodded and disappeared from the infirmary. Mokuba sighed and walked away at a slower pace towards Atemu's room, hopeful the school's nurse knew how stay out of the way of overly-excitable patients.

* * *

The four met back in record time, Kurama almost bodily dragging Yusuke, Mokuba being led at a dash by Atemu.

"Alright, we've got to do this quickly – I've got a class to teach in five minutes," whispered Atemu outside the thick oak door entering to the infirmary. "So on the count of three, I'll bind him, you stun him. Be careful not to -"

"**_Three!_**" shouted an impatient Yusuke, and flung open the door.

"_Swords of Revealing Light!_"

"_Spirit Gun!_"

Bakura fell over, stock still, a bright blue and purple haze surrounding him. Four bishonen let out sighs of relief, the other laying in a comatose form.

Atemu turned to Yusuke, eye twitching. "You have absolutely no respect for timing, do you, Yusuke?"

"Do too! You were taking to long!"

"That doesn't count as a sense of timing. That counts as undermining authority."

"How the hell are you authority?"

"As pharaoh of both upper and lower Egypt, I ruled over legions of –"

"Yeah, you can shut up now."

Mokuba rolled his eyes at the two quarrelers, and spotted a quivering tuft of gray hair showing over a nearby desk. "Um, Madame Pomfrey? You can come out now. He should be knocked out for a good three hours."

The nurse promptly stood up and bustled to her patient, potion bottle in hand. "Yes, well, as a precaution, I'm giving him a sedative with the concussion potion. Please…" she continued, looking a bit flustered, "Please refrain from doing that again. You may have increased his head injury."

Mokuba could have sworn he heard Atemu mutter something along the lines of, '_Can't get any worse than it already is…_'

* * *

"Finally," breathed Ron as the Golden Trio made their way towards the Defense classroom. "A normal subject. Defense Against the Dark Arts is one of those classes you can count on."

"Count on to be weird, you mean?" queried Harry.

"Yes, well, you can still count on it," mused Ron. "Whaddya think they've given us this year? A vampire? You-Know-Who's son? Snape's brother-in-law? A guy who can turn into a dragon on his own free will?"

Harry opened the door and held it as the other two made their way inside. "Nah, I think he'll be a convict from another planet. Pluto, maybe."

Hermione rolled her eyes at the two as they took their seats. "Honestly, do you have to go in suspecting the worst? He's probably a _perfectly_ nice person who's _perfectly qualified to teach._"

"Ah, well, that rules out the relation to Snape, now doesn't it?" said Harry wisely as Ron laughed – and he saw the faint twitches of a smile on Hermione's face as well, though she hid it as she dived for her textbook, the bell ringing in their ears.

This room, as most of the others had been, was redecorated to suit the Professor's choosing. Gold seemed to be the predominant color – chairs, tables, several staircases that lead to nowhere, the chandelier, the background colors of the walls; everything was a sparkling golden color. The vaulted ceiling, however, was the largest mosaic Harry had ever seen; depicting primarily a 'family' of people dressed in battle uniforms, each holding staffs with blackened magical waves coming out of them that rippled in the light. Scattered around them were other creatures – some taking on the appearance of those that Professor Lupin had helped them learn to defeat in third year, many that Harry could not place.

Not that they stayed inside long enough for anyone to analyze them – Professor Moto appeared mere seconds after the bell (looking rather perturbed about something) and ordered the entire class outside, which was met by a round of excited whispers after the demonstration in their last class. Two minutes of brisk walking across the grounds had led them directly to the base the Forbidden Forest.

**

* * *

**

"I need you all to form into groups of two or three within the next," Atemu glanced at the watch on his forearm, "Thirty seconds. Don't be afraid to merge your groups with members from both houses."

"Bloody insane, that's what he is," whispered Ron as the golden trio grouped together. "Since when does _any_ Gryffindor mix with Slytherin house?"

Harry blinked. "Since Mokuba, apparently." He pointed to the young black-haired boy approaching Malfoy.

Hermione's bushy hair whipped around, searching for the younger Kaiba. "What do you _mean_, since - Oh no," she whispered, "Oh no-no-no-_no_. I must have given him the wrong impression. This is _not_ good…."

"What do you mean, gave him the wrong impression?" Harry whispered frantically. "What did you do, kiss Malfoy in front of him or something?"

"Oh, bloody _hell!_" she spat, and began running towards the two as quickly as she could.

Ron looked bewildered. "She didn't, did she?"

Harry shook his head in disbelief. "Ron, you're an idiot sometimes, you know that?"

"Thirty seconds are up!" called Atemu, freezing Hermione from her tirade across the grass as Mokuba and Draco nodded to each other, Draco waving off Crabbe and Goyle.

"I've cleared out a small portion of this wonderful forest," Atemu gestured behind him, "Of any creatures of dark orientation above the fifth year level. Consider this a sort of review without paperwork." He grinned, "I assumed you'd prefer it this way."

People all about the group nodded, and Hermione rejoined Harry and Ron, still watching Mokuba and Draco out of the corner of her eye. Atemu continued, "We'll be conducting a sort of treasure hunt throughout the forest. Botan will be keeping watch from the skies," he scanned the sky above him, and sighed as he saw no blue haired oar rider above him, "Assuming she gets here before we start, of course. I will remain here to meet you when you complete your hunt. You'll be looking for five flags, one each representing water, fire, earth, wind, and metal. Please avoid killing anything within the forest – we'd like the occupants to allow us in another time or two."

Hermione glanced worriedly over at Draco and Mokuba as Malfoy smirked at the last comment, whispering something to Mokuba.

Atemu paused in his speech as Botan landed with a cheeky grin. "Alright, everyone, wands out!" he called, and stepped away from the first block of trees. "If you find yourself in trouble, shoot up red sparks and Botan will retrieve you. _Do not_ pass anything that looks like a warding wall – beyond those will be creatures you are unqualified to handle." Another smirk graced Malfoy's face. "You may now enter the forest."

The students stood where they were, holding their breaths and still unsure as to whether entering was a wise idea. Atemu sighed and shook his head regretfully. "_Fine_ – first ones back will receive extra credit."

Hermione's eyes were ablaze as she grabbed Harry and Ron, dragging them into the forest at a speed the other students hadn't known she'd possessed.

**

* * *

**

"You notice," mused Draco after putting up a protection shield that fit around the both of them, "That he never specified we couldn't attack other _students_."

Mokuba smiled, feeling slightly out of place already in the forest. "Atemu has an affinity of leaving questions open-ended. He likes to think that it leaves people with more options." He blasted a quick "_Stupefy!_" at an oncoming sprite, sending the thing flying into a clump of trees.

"You haven't got any clue as to where he placed these flags, do you?"

Mokuba shook his head. "Not any more than you do – sorry. Though I'll bet that just about any group of Gryffindors we pass will let us know…the whole lot seems to be overly trusting," he responded sourly.

Draco turned to stare at him quizzically. "Why _weren't_ you placed in Slytherin?"

"Why weren't _you_ placed in Gryffindor?" was the quick retort.

Malfoy's eyes widened. "_Excuse_ me? My family has proudly upheld Slytherin tradition for _generations_, and _you dare_ –"

Mokuba waved his hands frantically in a gesture of peace. "No, really! The houses aren't that different, actually. I'll bet you that if we asked Ron why he wasn't in Slytherin, he'd give almost that same response, without the whole Malfoy-family-pride bit. The houses are _known_ for aggression and ambition – it just seems that Slytherin has a bit _more_ ambition and a better sense of real-world views -plus an undying hatred for muggles and those with muggle heritage."

Draco raised his eyebrows. "Mudbloods, you mean? Yes, well – it rather comes with the territory. Showing any sort of support for them within Slytherin automatically rids you of popularity, and thus, power."

"Which is, of course, the most important thing to _anyone_ in Slytherin," stated Mokuba in a drawling manner.

"Precisely," responded Draco firmly.

Mokuba seemed to hesitate before posing his next question, staring at a nondescript piece of foliage gracing the mossy ground. "….So how is it you're so friendly with Hermione in my brother's class?"

Mokuba quickly found himself thrown up against a tree with an unknown spell, pinned there in one swift motion from a livid Draco; the _Protego_ that had been cast around them gone. His hands shook as he spat out, "Let's get some things straight, _Kaiba_." He spat out the name of the still-calm black-haired boy as if it were poison, and the careless expression on the other's face served only to anger him further. "First of all, don't you _ever_ mention that. _Ever._ While _beneficial in class_, outside those walls it could be _deadly_. Second of all, you'll notice that there is not one Slytherin inside that group of students – _not one_. Think strategically, if you will. And lastly," his hands shook, finely manicured nails digging into his palms so ferociously blood dripped from them, "_Lastly_, I'm not-"

"_Mokuba!_"

"_Petrificus Totalus!_"

"_Stupefy!_"

Draco whipped around to face the doubled jets of light, unprotected without a Protego in place, and stood rigid as the spells hit him, crashing to the ground in a state of unconsciousness.

Harry rushed up first, worry alighting his face as Ron spoke a counterspell to detach him from the tree. "Mokuba! Mokuba, are you alright?"

A cold glaze came over the black-haired boy's face, and he stared straight into Harry's eyes, ignoring a distanced Hermione. "You _imbecilic, condescending bastards._ You can't see what's _right in front of your own nose_, can you? Damn Gryffindor _pride!_"

He turned and disappeared into the foliage without making a sound. Within seconds a purple haze descended over Draco's body, which rose to float in Mokuba's direction like an eerie, lifeless corpse.

The members of the Golden Trio were too stunned to follow.

**

* * *

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	20. Treasure Hunt

OK, my plot bunny, like, disappeared. Then reappeared, and _then_ was eaten by Bakura. So the poor thing's been through a lot. I started over on this chapter a good three times before I found something I liked. But as a result, it's nice and long.

The idea of Mokuba's trick came from an interview with Eoin Colfer (Author of Artemis Fowl) who said something to the effect of, "If I had Holly pull out a gun that turned everyone's hair bright blue, no one would believe me!" Well, we'll see.

As always….I do NOT claim to own Harry Potter, Yu Yu Hakusho, or Yu-Gi-Oh. If you don't see this on TV or on DVD, it's not mine, baka ningens.

Yugi - /Speech/

Yami - /Speech/

Ryou - /_Speech_/

Bakura - /_Speech_/

* * *

_**Treasure Hunt**_

* * *

"Stupid bastards….how can they even….when I…oh, they've got something else coming…act like they're the kings of the world….how can anyone be so fucking _conceited!_" 

A crashing of odd colored trees announced the arrival of Botan behind the still-irate Mokuba, her cheery voice not far behind. "Now, Mokie! That's not very nice to say! They're part of your own house, after all!"

Mokuba glared up at the fast approaching ferrygirl. "Shouldn't you be guarding the other brats?"

A quizzical look came over Botan's face, then cleared and brightened. "Nope! Bothering you's more worthwhile!"

"Great. I'm overjoyed, can't you tell?" growled out the teen. A sigh of relief escaped him as he saw a familiar spiked head of hair not sixty yards away. "Hey, Yugi!"

Yugi looked up from a piece of parchment he had been studying, quill dropping from his hand and towards the ground as he witnessed a levitated Draco exiting the Forest. "Mokuba! What did you do to Draco?"

The Shadows supporting Draco's body pulsed with each step Mokuba took. "**_I_** didn't do anything. Dumbledore's wonder boys did." Mokuba paused and rubbed his temples as Yugi opened his mouth to speak. "I know, I know – I shouldn't let my emotions get out of control like that because it affects the Shadows. But they just make me so –" the Shadows flared around Draco again and Mokuba looked embarrassed. "Right. Well, I'm taking him up to the Hospital Wing. Goodness knows I certainly know the way by now," he snarled to himself.

Yugi smiled. "Right. Thanks for bringing him up." Looking at Mokuba's still angered frame, he continued, "I think Professor Snape will give you a Calming Potion if you need it."

Mokuba blinked slowly, then regained a more balanced composure. "Good idea. I'll….I'll bring one up for both of us, alright?"

"Thanks. I think Atemu will appreciate that, too. Oh – you may not want to carry him up like that; Madam Pomfrey's a little shy of the Shadows, thanks to Bakura. Try _Mobilicorpus._"

* * *

"Madam Pomfrey? I've got another patient for you!" Mokuba waltzed into the infirmary, talking in a singsong voice. "This one's less violent, I swear!" 

Madam Pomfrey's haggled form came around the corner, and she quickly ushered the unconscious Draco to a bed beside Bakura. "Thank you, Mister Kaiba. Incidentally, I have a letter here telling you to meet Professor Dumbledore in his office as soon as possible – the password remains 'Pocky'."

"_Wonderful,_" he muttered darkly, "I've got something to discuss with him as well." Mokuba took the letter from her, heading towards the door before pausing. "He'll be alright, won't he?"

The nurse nodded distractedly. "Yes, yes. Just a few counter spells and a healing potion for a few cuts."

Mokuba smiled. "I meant Bakura, but thank you. You do realize our most esteemed Professor is awake, right?"

The white-haired professor twitched at this statement. Pomfrey smiled at him. "Yes, but he's doing a rather nice job pretending to be asleep, so I thought I'd leave him that way for a bit."

Mokuba chuckled slightly at this. "Well, inform him when he wakes up that if he doesn't hear Atemu scream within the next thirty minutes, I'll be raiding his office for those fireworks."

"Of course, Mister Kaiba."

* * *

"What did we do, what did we _do?_" mumbled Hermione to herself. "How are we going to get ourselves out of this _mess?_" 

The trio had been walking in silence since their encounter with Malfoy – not quite dauntless enough to go after Mokuba, they had seen no sense in standing stock-still in the middle of the Forbidden Forest (Those who did had a tendency to get themselves eaten), and had continued on with the class assignment. Four out of five of the necessary flags were being carried by Ron.

Hermione's personal admonishment, however quiet, caused Ron to round on her with a vicious speed. "What do you mean, '_What did we do?_' Malfoy had his wand pointed right at Mokuba – what were supposed to do, keep walking? The kid was _up against a tree!_"

She shook her head. "Ron, I don't know if you understand what I'm saying. We've _attacked another student_ – who, yes, I'll admit, appeared to be attacking another student at the time, but when the student that was being attacked by the student _we_ attacked rebukes us after our attack on the student that was attacking him, well, that presents a _completely_ different scenario to anyone in authority, not to mention nulls our own actions against Malfoy!"

Harry and Ron stared at the bushy-haired Gryffindor as if she had grown an extra skull. Harry hesitated, "Meaning….?"

Hermione sighed and fixed both the boys with a level glare. "Meaning, Harry Potter, that we are in _deep_ shit and may have interrupted something vitally important that Mokuba was trying to get out of Malfoy."

"Oh."

Hermione jostled a stray strand of hair out of her face and pointed towards the top of a sinister looking tree. "Yes, well, there's the last flag up ahead. You two get it and I'll try to find a way out of this mess."

* * *

"You wanted to see me, Professor?" 

Albus Dumbledore looked up from the papers adorning his desk. "Ah – young Mister Kaiba. Yes, I have been wishing to gain your insight onto a few matters. Lemon drop?"

Mokuba sighed and sunk into a chair he already knew was detaching itself from the wall. "Why does everyone call me that? Honestly – my name is _Mokuba Kaiba_, and not any variation thereof." Mokuba cut off the elderly headmaster's retort with a wave of his hand. "Nevermind. I wanted to talk to you about something, too."

"Oh, really?" The infuriating twinkle was set firmly in Dumbledore's too-blue eyes yet again.

Mokuba rolled his eyes in a less than discreet manner. "Yes, really. I want to know why the mind of Draco Malfoy is being _controlled_, despite the fact that he is in _your_ care." Mokuba's eyes shot violet daggers at the headmaster's carefully controlled expression. "And don't you dare give me any of that bullshit telling me you didn't know. He's not acting of his own free will and I'm _sure_ you can tell better than anyone."

Professor Dumbledore remained quiet several moments, as though formulating an answer. Mokuba refused to break the silence, and did not object as a large, fiery colored phoenix landed on the desk.

A sparkle in Dumbledore's half-moon spectacles caused by the rays of light still streaming through the window was the only clue the man gave as he began to speak. "First off, Mokuba, I must commend you for even sensing the obstruction of Mister Malfoy's mind to begin with. Such a skill indicates you are well beyond your years in the practical application of magic. However, I must ask if you thoroughly explored that which is controlling Mister Malfoy's mind before you came to me with it."

Mokuba flushed a little. "I….no, I did not, Professor. I just recently discovered it myself – actually, the only reason I could tell was because he was unconscious – And, well, I haven't had the time to look deeper, seeing as Draco's in the hospital wing right now."

Dumbledore nodded, pleased. "If you had, Mokuba, you most likely would have come across the fact that we cannot remove the tie without knowing both the identity of the caster and their location. If both are _not_ known to the one that removes the curse, Draco will die. I assure you that is something I have not been eager to witness."

"And I suppose you don't know either one?"

Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "Though I have my suspicions, I am unwilling to risk Mister Malfoy's life on them."

Mokuba nodded slowly. "I….suppose that's wise. I'll check with the others and see if they know any way to help. But I noticed it's not a full control – why is it so _strong?_"

Dumbledore looked surprised. "Correct again, Mokuba. Any wizard under a full Imperius curse for as long as Mister Malfoy has remained under his would have been driven mad with resistance. I believe that which is placed upon Mister Malfoy is a modified example of the Imperius, and, while it leaves his mind in control, offers up strong suggestions that may be otherwise against his nature. This would not allow the spell any less _strength_, per say, but it would keep his mind intact, and keep his actions from arousing suspicion."

The black haired teen nodded again. "Makes sense. …I'd like to go back to class now, if you don't mind."

The headmaster nodded as Mokuba stood. "You are dismissed."

Mokuba went towards the door, then stopped. "Professor, what did you wish to see me about?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "Oh, nothing too life altering – I'll find the answer myself. Be on your way."

Mokuba blinked. "Alright. Thank you, Professor. And I apologize for my outburst."

He was waved out by Dumbledore's hand. "No harm done."

Little did Mokuba know an envelope from a certain Lord Koenma was hurriedly pushed out of sight upon his exit.

* * *

"Feelin' any better, kid?" 

Draco groaned and opened his eyes, only to see the ever-familiar peaks of the infirmary's ceiling. "What hit me?"

"Couldn't tell ya." Draco turned his head towards the source of the voice and discovered the white-haired Divination Professor in the bed next to him, looking distinctly bored. "But take it as a good sign that you know you were hit."

Draco sat up slowly, looking carefully at the Professor before extending his hand in a flourishing fashion. "I'm Draco Malfoy, of the pureblooded line of Malfoy's since the year thirteen-ninety-two. I assume you're Ryou Bakura."

Bakura eyed the pale boy with sarcastic distaste after suppressing the urge to laugh at the fact that anyone would make the mistake of thinking him to be Ryou. "You make yourself sound like a bottle of wine. And yes, you have the pleasure of being in the presence of Ryou Bakura." He stared pointedly at Draco's outstretched hand, which was retracted within a matter of seconds.

_/Feeling slightly unloved here./_

/_Well, it was partially true. You are here…._/

/_Just not speaking. Well, to him, anyway._/

/_Small technicality._/

/_Of course._/

/_May I carry on?_/

/_If you must. Try not to make me sound _too_ pompous._/

/_Will do, hikari._/

Bakura broke out of his internal conversation to play with a stray lock of hair. "Besides, fool," he added quietly to Draco, "If you _insist_ upon shouting about your heritage, be sure you are not comparing it to someone who's magical lineage far outstrips your own."

/_That's what I meant by pompous, 'Kura._/

/_Shush. I'm having fun._/

Draco's eyes had instantly narrowed with Bakura's last sentence. "What, exactly, do you mean?"

Bakura sported, by now, a full-blown smirk. "My own magical ancestry can be traced back some five-thousand years from this date."

/_Only five?_/

/_Kuru Eruna was a thieving village. You think we had family trees lying about the place?_/

/_Point taken._/

Bakura made a disgruntled noise in Ryou's mind. /_The Pharaoh would take this opportunity to say that _his_ ancestry goes back another five-thousand or so from my own, seeing as the walls of the palace were required to depict it._/

Draco looked awed ('_Though he covers it well,_' mused Bakura), quickly regaining a normal composure as Bakura spoke to Ryou, and once again held out a pale hand to the Professor. "Then I shall consider you a worthy ally."

Ryou and Bakura snorted at the same time. "You'll consider me nothing of the sort, thanks." Bakura gave a flippant grin. "Though I'll be glad to consider you an _underling_, if you wish."

Draco stiffened and sat rigid on the edge of the pristine bedsheets. "Not on your life."

The thief sprang lightly from his own bed, walking towards Draco as the younger boy gritted his teeth. With an eye that surveyed critically, he looked him up and down, carefully staying just outside Draco's personal bubble in an almost comical manner.

"You're one hell of a piece of work, aren't you?"

Eyes so light they resembled silver began flashing daggers at him. "Excuse me?"

Bakura heard Ryou laugh inwardly as his own mouth twitched in amusement. /_This kid's trying to outdo Kaiba, I do believe._/

A mental smirk came in return. /_He's not succeeding very well, is he?_/

/_Not really._/

/_Not even close, you mean._/

/_But he's making a good effort. At what, I'm not quite sure. …Does something seem off to you? In his aura?_/

/_I'm not about to look into it. We've got enough troubles trying to keep ourselves concealed. Make Kaiba do it if the kid's so interested in becoming his clone._/

/_Can we at least keep an eye on him?_/

/_Hikari….._/

"Are you going to stare into space all day or answer me?" Draco's hardened eyes broke through the two's conversation, Bakura shaking his head slightly to clear his hikari's voice from his head.

Grinning down at Draco, he tapped the blonde boy's forehead. "Well, you've got audacity, I'll give you that. I think I like you, kid – which is why we're getting out of this hospital wing, and we're getting out _now._"

Suspicion and amusement clouded the smaller boy's eyes as he stretched his legs and removed himself from the bed. "And where, _exactly_, are we going?"

Bakura's features were graced with the picture of innocence as he opened the heavy door of the infirmary. "Back to your class, of course!"

* * *

The Golden Trio had (with much frustrated climbing from both Ron and Harry and a final, exasperated, "_Accio!_" from Hermione) retrieved the fifth flag of the Treasure Hunt. Within moments of it flying into Hermione's open hand, Botan had appeared next to them, blue hair still flying from the wind. 

"Harry-kun! Great, you're done. Now, as the official assistant of all things Quidditch related within Hogwarts, I would like to inform you of your election into the position of Gryffindor's Quidditch Captain – congratulations!"

Hermione looked at the ferrygirl from her perch on a nearby mossy rock with disgust, and Ron seemed torn between backing away and moving forward in curiosity. Harry shook Botan's outstretched hand, slightly embarrassed by the attention – even for all that he _had_ expected the change in position. "Thank you."

Botan beamed. "Speaking of which, I have a few professors who'd like to take a shot on a bona-fide British broom, so we might be off to the side of a few of your practices. Would that be alright?"

Harry looked at her, slightly confused. Their teachers had never so much as ridden a broom before? How odd. "Oh, yes, that's fine. Anything else?"

Botan's smile lost most of its sparkle. "Actually, I'm mainly here to collect you and bring the three of you back to Atemu – uh, Professor Mouto. He'd like to discuss your performance inside the Forest with you."

Harry clearly heard Hermione mutter, "Oh, _shit_," from behind him, but nevertheless all three began to follow her obediently.

* * *

"Here they come, Mokuba," murmured Atemu as he set down a glass of Calming Potion on a nearby table. "You've decided what you'll discuss?" 

The younger Kaiba took a deep breath as he saw the three approaching out of the darkness of the Forest and set down his own goblet of potion. "Yeah, I can handle it. I still need to talk to you later, though, alright?"

The three that hiked out of the foliage looked decidedly nervous, managing to fidget even as they walked and drawing themselves into a tightly knit group, pulling even closer when they saw both Mokuba and the Professor sitting at the wrought iron table. Atemu motioned for the three to sit, and they rushed to the circular shaped benches.

After a few moments of silence, Yugi spoke. "I couldn't help but notice a certain Draco Malfoy floating out of the Forest behind Mokuba. Anyone care to explain?"

Hermione stared down at the table, refusing to meet the Defense Professor's eyes. Words tumbled out of her mouth at an alarming rate. "I – we – we're sorry, Professor Mouto. We came around the bend and saw Mokuba against the tree and Malfoy holding him there and it just, well, we thought he was being attacked! Sir, we were just trying to save our housemate!"

Atemu rustled in the back of Yugi's mind. /If she stares any harder at the table, I think it may just set on fire./ he commented with a chuckling overlay.

/_So_ not the point./ Yugi turned to the black haired Kaiba. "Mokuba?"

Mokuba looked directly at Hermione's forehead. "I'd like to thank all three of you, I suppose. You were correct in the fact that I was being attacked; you just didn't," he grimaced, "Realize that I'm able to take care of myself when I get in a tight spot."

Ron and Harry looked at him dubiously.

Mokuba almost laughed at their faces. "No, really, I am. Hermione, look at me." The brown-haired Gryffindor finally looked upwards. "See, I'm fine. Not dead yet, I swear!" He was rewarded with a small smile, and in response made a more somber face. "I just….want you guys to think a little before you attack – with wands or otherwise, alright? In return, I'll attempt to keep the ranting and screaming down to a minimum. Deal?"

The Golden Trio nodded in unison, Harry holding out his hand to shake Mokuba's. "Deal."

Yugi smiled happily. "Wonderful! Now that we're all friends again, I'll….Mokuba?" The Professor stared at his wrist quizzically as Atemu took control. "Mokuba, what was _in_ that potion?"

A flash of light erupted from Atemu's forearm, and he pushed back from the table with a yelp, soon to be engulfed in a bright blue haze. "Mokuba! You _rat!_"

Mokuba leapt away, laughing madly and setting off at a dead run towards the castle. "It was Bakura, I swear! All Bakura!" he shouted, and continued cackling.

For as the smoke cleared, Harry, Ron, and Hermione could see every inch of the Professor's skin and hair covered in blue.

"Sort of anti-climactic," whispered Ron, "I mean, now his hair's just _one_ color."

Atemu growled, seethed, and vowed revenge, then began to swear profusely as the one person he did not want to see made his way down the grounds.

"Yo, Pha – _Professor!_ I'm on return duty!" Bakura waltzed forward, Draco lagging behind, and pulled on one of Atemu's now-blue bangs. "Good color on you. Slightly less shocking than the last, though."

"Bastard."

* * *

**_Reviews _**

* * *

A huge thank you to….

**Rosedark**, **Peeka-chan**, **Alex**, **Starlet36**, **RainOwl**, **Zanman** (And I TOTALLY thanked you last chapter. Go check.), **Darkdaisy**, **Latin101**, **Chaos Guardian Seth**, **LadyKatsu**, **ComputerFreak101**, **yllom21**, **The One Who Creeps You Out**, **Alex** (Again), **PenPusherM**, **Kenmeishouri**, **Kayono**, **Tira's Host**, **Lady Starlight2**, **- Glomps Yuugi -**, **Dreammistress Jade**, **Crazy Hyper Lady**, and **Chelley Angel**.


	21. Communications

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, Harry Potter, or YuGiOh... YYH belongs to a Japanese man who thought it would be interesting to kill off his hero before the story even got properly started. HP belongs to an English woman who killed off a character with a lot of potential, but not before a huge amount of fangirls fell in love with him. YGO belongs to a Japanese man who decided killing people was far too simple, but having egotistical main characters mess with the minds of idiots would be just jolly good entertainment._**

Well, you can all thank PenPusherM and LadyKatsu for getting my butt in gear to write this - both threatened me with 'I won't update 'til you do! So there!'

So it's their fault.

There was going to be another scene...but quite honestly, I didn't have the heart to rewrite it for the third freaking time. The characters annoyed me to no end - thus you are all stuck with this. Said scene will most likely appear next chapter.

(Sighs) Anyone have any other really good shonen-ai fanfiction out there? Anyone?

* * *

**_Communications_**

* * *

Hiei moved silently through the Forest, using the trees to keep himself off the ground. As promised, he'd begun a set of nightly sparring matches against the kitsune to keep the both of them in practice. The fire demon grimaced a bit as he thought of his choice for battle grounds – giving a plant master such as Kurama miles upon miles of weapons to choose from must have spawned from a fit of insanity, no matter how effectively fire worked against foliage. 

It seemed Kurama had already beaten him to the clearing, leaning slightly against a tree that somehow served to accent the pristine white-and-green outfit he wore. Landing in a conveniently placed tree-branch that placed him slightly above Kurama's eye level, he waited for the kitsune to acknowledge his presence.

"Hello, Hiei. Are you warming up to the idea of teaching yet?"

Hiei snorted. It was just like the fox to goad him about his position. "You must be joking, Kurama. What would give you the idea I would ever enjoy this?"

Hiei sensed Kurama's arms moving to cross themselves as the red-haired fox relaxed further, and the fire demon realized there would be no battle tonight. "Oh, come now, Hiei. Surely you've at least picked a pet for yourself?" His smirking aura was almost tangible.

"A what?"

"It's a ningen custom. Children favored by the instructor are deemed by the other's to be a 'Teacher's Pet'. One of them must have caught your eye." Kurama pretended to think for a minute, idly watching a leaf flutter to the ground. "I believe mine would be Miss Granger. She uses her mind, but I have the suspicion she could be a vindictive little vixen if pushed."

"Ningen are useless, Kurama. You should know that. And your pet has no athleticism. Now, that Malfoy child – he looks like he'd stand half a chance. Less brain, but at least he has the movements of a fighter to–" he broke off at the sound of Kurama openly snickering. "What?"

"Nothing, Hiei. But you're contradicting yourself." Kurama pinched a lock of hair and twisted it between his fingers in a contemplative manner. "Perhaps we should pit our favorites against each other?"

A derisive snort met this suggestion. "Hn. Trust you to come up with a new form of amusement."

Kurama looked up towards the fire demon with an expression coated in mock horror. "It's _not_ amusement, it's….well….training? Oh, all right, so Youko's found a new pastime. But you must admit, it would be fun. I'll have to look into this."

Hiei smiled wickedly. "I'm teaching dueling for a _reason_, Kurama. I'll find a way."

Kurama blinked as the breeze from Hiei's quick departure ruffled the strands of hair he'd been toying with. "Touché."

* * *

"Harry! Ron! Open the door! I'm going to lose all my–" _Crash._ "Books." A half-hearted sigh and a few more sets of thuds followed the announcement as Hermione bent over to pick up what she'd lost. 

The door to the boys' dormitory opened quickly to reveal a head of black hair. "Hermione-kun, why are you carrying all that up here? You can't have that much homework, it's only the second day of school." Mokuba finished replacing a binder in his hair and bent over to help her gather the materials, giving her a kind but quizzical look.

Hermione smiled up at him wryly. "You'd be surprised how skilled Harry and Ron are at getting out of their homework. Ginny should be coming up to help me because the Common Room's so crowded." He handed her the last book and was rewarded with a quick thanks. "Where are you going, anyway?"

He looked at her quizzically. "Hm? Oh, I'm heading off to help my brother with something. He's waiting for me in the library." She narrowed her eyes and he put up his hands in defense. "My homework's done, I swear! See ya later."

"Hey, Hermione, that you?" called Ron from inside. "What's a 'burbuja'?"

Mokuba raised an eyebrow. "What is he talking about?"

Hermione shook her head, frizzy hair flying. "No idea. But I'm sure I'll find out somehow. See you later." She waved him towards the portrait hole. "Go before your brother gets worried."

He smiled wryly. "Happy studying."

Hermione rolled her eyes and entered the already chaotic dorm. "Yeah right," she murmured to herself. "Second day back and the first thing on my list is _studying_, I'm sure." Shaking her head as if to clear it of that train of thought, she let the pile of materials land haphazardly on Harry's unoccupied bed. "What have we got to work with, guys?"

Harry moved from his position of trunk-digging and smiled proudly as Ron abandoned his essay to look Hermione's way. "We've decided to take your advice."

The Gryffindor girl blinked. "My what?"

Ron continued, and the smiles on both of the boys' faces grew. "We're taking your advice and getting an early start on homework. 'Evil won't wait for your Potions due date' and all that."

Disbelief persisted on her face. "You're _what?_"

Harry nodded. "We're two essays away from being done with all the homework for the next week. So we thought we'd start with something important."

Ron looked enthusiastic. "Like what new plans You-Know-Who's got up his sleeve."

"Or the new teachers."

"Or running the D.A. again."

Harry smiled in a firm sort of way. "We're not winging it this year, is the point. We'll have a plan, and we'll _make_ that plan work."

Tears were nearly brimming in Hermione's eyes, and she rushed to engulf both of them in a hug. "_Please_ tell me you're not joking."

"We're not."

"At least until the essays get really ugly."

She pulled back just as Ginny stepped into the room, depositing another armload of books on Harry's bed. "Then we've got a lot of work to do. Ginny, grab a seat."

_

* * *

I am so lost. Beyond lost. I think the world ended somewhere next to that statue. Who'd figure that the library__, of all places, would be so blasted hard to find? You'd think that'd be the central point of a _school_, but _no_, the central point of the school apparently doesn't exist because the_ walls_ move!_ libraryschoolno wallsMokuba was truly, honestly wishing that Hogwarts had some sort of accompanying map. He'd left the Common Room fifteen minutes ago, gone through several doors possessing destinations he wasn't familiar with, and found himself completely and utterly lost. 

_Maybe Seto's lost, too. _

Right. Somehow, that didn't seem like his big brother. While the elder Kaiba possessed only the most elementary of people skills, he did seem to enjoy the benefits of a personal GPS tracking system in his head.

_Something that _didn't_ get passed on to me, apparently. I'm lucky to find the upside of a compass._

Finally stumbling upon an eager-to-help Professor McGonagall, he found a side route to the library and his none-too-patiently waiting brother. They exchanged pleasant greetings and ducked into an unused classroom just outside the library's main entrance.

Seto's hand twitched as he set his briefcase on a dusty desk and dug a letter out. "Mokuba, I need you to read this and tell me what you think. I received it this morning at breakfast."

As his brother handed the note over, the younger Kaiba noticed a great many crease lines on the parchment, as if it had been opened and refolded time and time again as the day wore on. A heavy hand had carved out the message in ink so dark a purple it seemed black, and had been dated not five days before.

* * *

_To Whomever It May Concern,_

_Please make no attempts to burn, discard, or disbelieve this letter. Though at this time I know neither your name nor your face, you and I shall be meeting soon._

_Judging by the reaction an item in my possession has been displaying recently, I assure myself it is safe to assume you have, at minimum, rudimentary knowledge of a set of objects known as the Millennium Items. If I am incorrect in this assumption, please include in your response a request for such knowledge._

_The Millennium Rod, held by a High Priest of Ancient Egypt, has been, for lack of a better word, 'acting up' and 'pulling' itself away from my side. This leads me to believe it is searching, yet again, for a new owner, though the possibility remains of it merely leading me towards a new ally. This letter has been sent to you using adapted powers of the Millennium Rod itself – therefore I ask you to please excuse it's brevity in knowing that I am still unsure as to whom I am addressing._

_I ask for nothing more than a conference between our two persons; note that any international setting will do._

_Sincerely,  
Malik Ishtar of the Ishtar Guardians_

* * *

Mokuba looked up at Seto, eyes widening. "You can never have small problems, can you?"

Seto smiled deprecatingly, the expression looking deadened on his face. Mokuba began to notice the small lines around his features and the stressful stance of his body. "It's not in my nature."

Mokuba sighed. "Well, what are you going to do about it?" 

Seto looked surprised and slightly revolted. "Ignore it, of course. Do you really think I want to deal with that psychopath again?"

"No, but you should at least answer him," quipped Mokuba. "It's good manners."

Seto ran a hand through nearly-ragged hair. "The Millennium Rod – he's talking about that golden _stick_ he kept brandishing around?"

The black ponytail bobbed up and down. "Yeah, I think that's it. So…."

"So _what?_"

Mokuba sighed and looked at his brother in exasperation. "So we've got to talk to Yugi about this, don't we?"

Seto stared at his younger brother, momentarily traumatized. "We've _what?_"

* * *

"Alright," Ginny stated, running her wand along an unrolled sheet of parchment. "We've determined that we have no idea what You-Know-Who's up to this year, other than the general 'kill-rampage-and-induce-terror' sort of plan. The D.A., due to a _horrendous_ study schedule-" 

Hermione shot her a look of venom. "Excuse me for wanting to pass sixth year."

Ginny cleared her throat again. "Like I was saying, due to a horrendous study schedule thrust upon Harry, Ron, and myself, the D.A. will be postponed until we determine whether or not the Defense teacher is actually competent this year."

Ron rolled his eyes. "What are the chances of _that_ happening?"

Harry lazily moved from the bed to a lower vantage point on the floor. "We'll see."

Ginny continued with a look of determination. "That leaves two things – the strange appearance of one Mokuba Kaiba into Gryffindor house, and the even stranger appearance of our new professors."

Silence reined for several long seconds until Hermione spoke up. "Start with Mokuba.

"Start with Mokuba," said Hermione, absently chewing on the end of a Sugarquill. "He's probably the one we'll figure out first."

"For what it's worth, guys, I really don't think Mokuba's got anything to do with Voldemort," said Ginny ponderously. "He just….I dunno, doesn't have the 'evil vibe'."

Harry nodded his head. "There might not be anything we actually _need_ to 'figure out'. I mean, really, he's seems like a normal enough kid."

"A super-human, sure, but still a normal kid," scoffed Ron. "Come on, Harry, you've got to be kidding me. You saw him jump fifteen feet into the Divination Tower same as I did."

"And you're _still_ sure he wasn't using a levitation spell?" asked Hermione.

"Hermione, for the last time!" growled Ron, exasperated at having to retell the story multiple times since he day previous. "He didn't even have his wand out! Neither did that teacher!"

Hermione nodded and removed the Sugarquill from her mouth. "Right. Professor Mouto."

Ron grinned. "He's gotta be one of the most lax teacher we've ever had! Him and Urameshi are great! I mean, we got off attacking Malfoy with just a friendly 'teacher-to-student-to-students' talk."

"He seems to have a real rivalry with Professor Bakura, though," mused Ginny. "Even without what you said about him turning blue after you left, I've still seen the two of them quarreling all the time."

"Honestly," said Harry, "Bakura scares me a little."

Ron toyed with a chess piece. "He's got more of a scare factor than Trelawney ever did, I'll give you that."

Ginny stole a chocolate frog from the bag Hermione had brought up. "When you think about it, all the teachers seem a little dark. Not evil, really, just like the Auror's – they've seen so much of the dark it can't help but seep into them a little."

Hermione glared at her for the stolen chocolate before acquiescing. "Especially Professor Hiei – is that his first name? I don't think anyone ever actually has introduced us to him as anything else, really."

Harry shrugged. "Must be. What's with those ears on Professor Kurama's head, though? Mokuba asked him about it and it seemed like a private joke."

Ginny and Hermione looked wistfully at the sky at giggled as they caught each other's expressions. Ron barely avoided grinding his teeth at the two. "Doesn't matter, Harry," said Ginny, making a waving motion with her hand. "I mean, _really_, can you imagine Professor Kurama as evil?"

"He seems to have issues with Bakura, too, now that I think about it."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Does that make him evil?"

"No, that makes Bakura an outsider," said Ginny. "Or an anti-hero. Anti-villain, maybe?"

Hermione quirked a smile and changed the rails of the conversation, unwilling to delve deeper into the question. "Nobody's seen Professor Kaiba really interacting with anyone but Mokuba, have they?"

"Not really – that's kinda weird, when you think about. They all seem to know him – I've heard Professor Mouto mention him in class," responded Ginny.

"Professor Urameshi mentioned him too – not in very friendly terms, though. They're kind of opposite ends of the spectrum, when you think about it."

"Nuh-uh, Kaiba's on opposite ends with that new Flight Instructor – Botan, I think her name is. She's so….happy. Like the epitome of Hufflepuff." Ron pointed out. "By the way, Ginny, she told us she'd be out there during our practice tomorrow."

"Our practice?" Ginny's eyes went wide. "Oh man, Harry, we've gotta pick new players tomorrow! This is going to be hell. And it's two in the morning!" She sighed and started gathering up her books. "Alright, Hermione, I'm going to bed. Harry, Ron, try to get at least a little sleep so I don't have to call Pomfrey out to the first Quidditch accident of the season, alright?"

"Goodnight!"

* * *

**_Reviews_**

* * *

Thanks to,

**Dreammistress Jade**, **Lady Starlight2**, **Setoglomper**, **ComputerFreak101**, **Crazy Hyper Lady**, **Yllom21**, **Chelley Angel**, **PrepMassacre**, **Zanman**, **PenPusherMelly**, **Kenmeishouri**, **Darkdaisy**, **Tira's Host**, **Starlet36**, **Kayono**, **Akira Tosiyama**, **Yamisgirl3**, **Flamethrowerqueen**, **Chaos Tenshi**, **Rosedark**, and **Gohan/videlgoten/trunkslover**.


	22. Quidditch and Qualms

(Sighs) This thing has actually been almost ready to go since Halloween. However, I've had a few complications (a poor excuse, I know) that have deterred me from posting. Everyone give PenPusherM a big hoot'n'holler for getting my ass in gear and this chapter up and running.

That said, we'll begin. All Hallows Eve rocks my socks!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, Harry Potter, or YuGiOh... YYH belongs to a Japanese man who thought it would be interesting to kill off his hero before the story even got properly started. HP belongs to an English woman who killed off a character with a lot of potential, but not before a huge amount of fangirls fell in love with him. YGO belongs to a Japanese man who decided killing people was far too simple, but having egotistical main characters mess with the minds of idiots would be just jolly good entertainment.

* * *

**_Quidditch and Qualms_**

* * *

Ginny woke up the next morning with a horrendous headache attacking her skull. A closer inspection in her bathroom mirror proved she didn't look nearly as bad as she felt – her hair cascaded down her shoulders in fire-colored ringlets, and her eyes, for all they were accented by dark shadows, were a bright green color. The color of emeralds, her boyfriends always said. Rich, deep, emeralds. 

Ginny rolled said eyes before applying a simple makeup charm. _Vanity never won a Quidditch match,_ she reminded herself. _Just look at Malfoy._

Soon dressed in the comfortable cotton of her Quidditch robes, she hurtled down towards the Great Hall, broomstick in hand. She ran past the breakfast table, stealing the piece of toast Dean Thomas was buttering generously, and with a wave and a smile to the bewildered boy, found herself on the Quidditch Pitch.

She sighed to herself. _Four places to fill,_ she thought, _and not one of them can be less than perfect._ With her brothers gone, along with Alicia, Angelina and Katie, their team had suffered quite a loss. She'd already been assured by Harry she'd remain in her position of Chaser, if she wanted it. Her keen acceptance had seemed to take at least a little of the weight off her shoulders.

Speaking of which, she saw Harry rocket above her, putting his Firebolt through its paces. She'd always loved to watch Harry fly; she fancied it reflected his natural personality. His face showed nothing but pure joy of flight; until, at least, the Snitch showed. Then, he was nothing but strong determination, every muscle keyed towards achieving a goal.

Harry saw her, and she flagged him down to the ground, motioning to the line of Gryffindors eagerly awaiting a chance for the team. He rolled his eyes, reluctant to come back to Earth. But duty called, and he made his way down, landing in front of the line.

Harry took his broom in his hand, gazing at those lined in front of him with a grim little smile on his face. "You're all here to try out for the greatest team in this school, am I correct?" A few third years nodded tentatively, while the older students beamed. Harry nodded approval, and broke out into his own flashing grin. "Then we'll work it like this. Anyone trying for the Chaser positions, I want in the air first. We'll do Beaters the second we're done, alright?" He blinked. "Right. And just to let you know, there may be a few…erm…distractions throughout the field." He leaned in with an amused smirk. "Some of our new teachers have never been off the ground, apparently, and they're taking their first lessons today. Just treat them like Bludgers you're not allowed to hit." He surveyed them all again, hopping on his broom and motioning for Ginny to do the same – Ron was up near a goalpost, Quaffle in hand. "So anyone here for just the Bludger tryouts may either stay and watch, go back to bed, or prank the Slytherins. Not that I told you that," he added with a conspiratorial wink.

Ginny smiled. From here on out, the tryouts were on her terms – Harry had said as much. He didn't feel that he knew more than the basics of being a Chaser, and besides, the new recruits would be working with _her_ as a team, not him. It made her worry how he'd handle choosing the newest Beaters.

"Alright, guys," she called to those mounting their brooms, deftly catching the Quaffle Ron had thrown down to her, "We're going to go in teams of three, including me, and try to get this shiny red ball past my poor older brother. Harry will be flying around us, evaluating you, so for goodness sakes **_don't hit him._** I guarantee you won't find a spot on the team if you take out our captain. Who's up first?"

She smiled vindictively as all eight raised their hands simultaneously. If they survived the next few hours keeping up with her and Ron, and **_still _**had enough masochistic tendencies to make them want to join the team, they were as good as in.

She flew straight up into the air, motioning for two to follow as a shot of adrenaline raced through her system. Her headache disappeared, and the fun began.

* * *

Bakura growled softly to himself and tapped his foot impatiently – his hikari was such a _wuss. _Even the Pharaoh's brat had more temerity than his own! 

_/I'm sorry, 'Kura/_ whispered Ryou from the depths of the thief's mind. /_If you really wanted to, I suppose you could block me out entirely, and I'll just miss the experience…./_

Bakura tried to conceal his twitching eye. /_That takes energy neither of us have, ahou./_ _Besides,_ he thought to himself, _Even if I _weren't _trading one worst nightmare for another, and I swore I would never do that again._

_Ever._

Bakura had come away from many a Duel Monsters Tournament with his hikari's mind in a revolting state – sewn with nightmares and dark, enclosed spaces, and towering cliffs that sent the being standing atop them plunging to a horrific death.

It had taken the thief nearly three such experiences of looking for Ryou in his soulroom and encountering such spiritual messes before he'd finally confronted his hikari about it. The discussion that had followed had been something any other being would have described as 'bonding'.

Bakura flinched as that particular word ran through his mind. _That shouldn't_ be _in my vocabulary…._

But kindness had overtaken him in that event, and upon learning that his hikari's fears included not only darkness, small spaces, and heights, but an unprecedented fear of being out of control of his own mind (hence a circle that only made the nightmares worse), he'd sworn to always, _always,_ allow his hikari to be privy to the outside world.

_It must be madness,_ Bakura mused.

Though the members of the Reikai Tantei _did_ look as though they were having fun. All but Botan had started off a bit rocky, but they now shot through the air with an arrow-like grace.

Well, perhaps not exactly with _grace_, excluding his fellow thief. But the Jagan master certainly flew through the air as if he'd been born to do so; which he probably had, reflected the white haired thief – Bakura had seen Hiei 'fly' along the ground, faster than mortal eyes could see. And though the young human dived and looped in a decidedly brash manner, and his taunts to the Jagan master and thief went ignored or scorned, he still always avoided whatever obstacle came hurtling at him without _too_ many near misses.

Though by the incredulous looks given to Yusuke by the Gryffindor team every time a loud crack rent throughout the air, Bakura could guess that Bludgers weren't meant to be smashed open by one's fist. Urameshi seemed to be taking a perverse sort of joy out of it.

"Stupid," _CrackSmash_, "Effing," _CrackSmashThud_, "Balls!"

Bakura sighed as various pieces of Bludger shrapnel fell towards him. Where _were_ those other idiots? And why, _why_ hadn't they taken him from this torment? Mokuba, at least, would have normally shown him some kindness, but neither he, his brother, nor the midget Pharaoh could be found this morning.

Which was by pure accident, he was sure.

* * *

It had taken a good portion of the morning to get through the Chaser's tryouts, and several minutes before they were meant to start with Beaters, the new teachers had come out to try their hands. 

Harry regretted letting loose the Bludgers now – Madame Hooch would have his head for those that escaped.

Or made it to Urameshi, which was actually the exact opposite of escape. Five ruined Bludgers lay scattered throughout the field.

_He must have some sort of strengthener spell on his hands,_ mused Harry. But he couldn't help flinching each and every time both hand and ball let out a ferocious crack that rang out through the pitch. _You'd think a teacher would have more sense that to go around destroying school property, though…._

Ginny was back inside, trying to decide amongst the new recruits. She'd looked rather unhappy – her best two options had very obviously been Seamus Finnegan and Michael Corner, the last of which she frequently referred to as "The Snake Among Lions".

Harry hoped Michael would survive the experience when chosen.

_I should have asked Fred and George to judge the Beaters,_ thought Harry as one of the ten people he'd sent into the air whizzed by him, narrowly missing his head_. I've no idea as to what they actually do, how they work….._

_I am_ so _in over my head…._

Honestly, he couldn't tell who was doing better than the rest, and was leaning towards just giving the job to the Creevey brothers to keep with the good karma of having brothers working together for the job.

_Or I would, at least, if weren't so small…. The Slytherins would pummel them._

Harry sighed and flew up towards Ron, dodging yet more players on the way, one who flew straight into a goal post trying (yet again) to look at his scar.

Ron snapped his head around as Harry approached. "You alright there, Harry?"

He nodded. "I'm fine. Any ideas?"

Ron winced as the same player who'd smashed into a goal post slammed into the ground. "Draw names from a hat?"

Harry rubbed his temples pensively, the headache Ginny had complained of switching to him. "It might just come to that, actually."

Ron took pity on him. "Look, Harry, why don't you head in and I'll finish up here, alright? I'm guessing I'll be able to pick just as well as you, and if we really get in a pickle, I'll ask Fred and George to host sort of a….a callback-type thing, okay? I mean, we're capable of weeding out the worst, right?" He poked Harry's forehead and the Boy-Who-Lived reeled back a little. "Go see Madame Pomfrey, and tell her we'll probably need her for that kid who keeps crashing."

Harry smiled. "Thanks, Ron," he said, pointing his broom towards the window of the Infirmary. "You're a great friend."

Ron beamed and started fervently shouting orders.

* * *

"Alright, Seto, hand it over," proclaimed Atemu in a tired voice. "We've been wandering this castle since dawn and I hardly enjoy your company and more than you enjoy mine." 

The spirit didn't exactly appreciate being awakened in the early hours of the morning, dragged out of bed by his host and the CEO's younger brother, and made to wander the castle by Kaiba's side in a dead silence – and all for the benefit of the eldest Kaiba brother. They had recently reached what the students referred to as 'The North Tower' – it was somewhere near Bakura's classroom, Atemu knew – and Mokuba had given him the basics of the situation as Seto stared broodily out across the lake. They were doing this in lieu of the Quidditch practice session Botan had promised them.

Seto reached into the front of his cloak – he had taken surprisingly well to the manner of dress here and was quite fond of the selection of capes and cloaks that could be found – and withdrew a thin envelope that had been folded and creased many times over. He continued to gaze into the distance as he extended his arm. Atemu snatched the letter from him as his abou took on a ghostlike form next to him – something they had taken to calling an 'Astral Projection'.

Atemu's eyes quickly scanned the parchment in front of him, Yugi reading over his shoulder. "You came to me with this as soon as you received it?"

Seto made a low growling noise which Mokuba readily translated. "He got it yesterday. We're still trying to figure it out." The younger Kaiba brother sighed. "It's just so _odd._"

Seto made an oddly stangled noise and turned to face the group. "This is not odd – it's ludicrous! What kind of a maniac goes off ranting about magic and Millennium Items in a letter when he _doesn't even know whom he's speaking to?_"

Atemu struggled to hide a burst of laughter at Kaiba's outrage and failed.

"That said….Do you even _want_ to meet with him, Kaiba?" asked Yugi, shooting a venomous glance at his other.

"No," proclaimed Kaiba, voice stern and full of resolve, "I don't."

"Yes," said Mokuba, "You do. So write back to him already like I've been telling you to!"

Yami looked up at Seto sharply, eyes flashing. "Kaiba, you _cannot_ just ignore this, whether or not it pleases you. _Yes,_" he said, making a motion with his hands as he saw Seto's eyes narrow into a fierce glare, "I realize that you have yet to believe in destiny. However, Malik is still a prominent figure within the Ishtar clans. Refuse to answer him and you will be pitting yourself against a person who may as well be a prince. They will try to find you, should your obstinate streak remain. Surely you can understand those odds?"

"Let them try," sneered Seto. "I have the confidence that I could wipe them off the face of the Earth if need be."

Mokuba looked up at his brother wearily as Atemu took a deep breath and counted to ten – a tool his abou had taught him that occasionally helped. "Alright, Kaiba. It is your decision, after all. I may not approve of your choices, but then, our views have always differed." _That, and if I don't intervene now I may just have a chance to rub it in when this verdict blows up in his face later on._ "However," he continued, "I do ask one thing of everyone here." He looked Mokuba directly in the eyes and enunciated his next sentence very clearly, unsure of his reaction. "Do not tell Bakura – or any of the others – of this letter."

Mokuba's eyes went wide with outrage. "Why not? You're afraid he'll try to take over the world again with Malik – like he did in Battle City? That's _insane,_ Atemu, and you know it! They're both perfectly stable," he declared, then paused. "Well, as stable as they're ever likely to get. But they're both good people now. Bakura has Ryou to restrain him from any troubles, and besides, they were good friends! What if something happened to Joey back home and no one told you about it? How do you think you would feel? How do you think _Yugi_ would feel?"

Atemu bit his lip, stung, as Seto's lip quirked up a bit in pride for his younger sibling. /I think we may have taught him a bit too well, Yugi. He knows exactly where to hit./

Yugi ignored him. /Why _don't_ you want him to know, Atemu/ he asked concernedly. /What's wrong with it/

/Because I'm afraid exactly what Mokuba has said will come true./ 

/And? You must have a reason beyond that./

Atemu hesitated briefly. /Chalk it up to a feeling, Yugi. Like the one you had before Battle City./

/Oh./ Yugi merged back into his own body and took control, amethyst eyes blinking. "For me, Mokuba? Please? Atemu's got a good reason, it's just…."

Mokuba turned back towards the stairs. "Just that you don't want to tell me. Fine. _Fine._ I'll keep your secret. But don't expect me to be happy about it." And with that, he stalked back down the long flight of stairs, slamming the door to the landing behind him.

Yugi turned to see Seto chuckling under his breath. "What? What's so funny?"

"I'm willing to bet that's the worst reaction you've ever gotten out of Mokuba, isn't it? You'll be feeling guilty for days, won't you?" He smiled. "And the worst is yet to come," he muttered, following his younger sibling down the long, winding staircase.

* * *

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Thank you to…..

**Crazy Hyper Lady, Yamisgirl13, Chaos Guardian Sethros, Dreammistress Jade, ComputerFreak101, Akira Tosiyama, Yllom21, Misawa Kaitou, PenPushaSista of Another Mista, Starlet36, Black Irish, Chelley Angel, Rosedark, KamiKaze no Kage, DarkDaisy, Kayono, Kenmeishouri, Latin 101, BonnieGinger4Ever, and Chaos Tenshi.**


	23. At Death's Doorstep

I received a comment last chapter that scared me a bit - it said something to the effect of 'What was in the letter?'

I assume this person means 'What was in the letter Malik sent Seto?' For that, I refer you to Chapter 21 - it's the large section in italics. It may also be useful to see it again in this chapter, as we're dealing with it again.

**Disclaimer: I swear upon the sparkliness that is my FiberOpticChristmasTreeAngel that I do not own….well, anything, actually. Except for my pony. And my puppy. Who, by the way, is looking at me in that endearing way that says, "Give me peanut butter or your sketchbook gets it."**

…**..Excuse me as I fill a Kong (also, incidentally, not owned by me) with the sticky/salty/sweetness that is peanut butter.**

* * *

**_At Death's Doorstep_**

* * *

Halloween crept up on the entirety of the school, and summer robes were quickly discarded for a thicker, heavier variety. The leaves of nearly every tree surrounding Hogwarts turned to varied colors of fire, reinforcing the change in season. 

Cheer also spread throughout the school like a wildfire - and Mokuba was determined to find out the cause.

Opportunity arose for him at the end of a particularly explosive Charms lesson.

"_Why_ am I being dragged off to decorate the _whole castle_ an _entire week_ before your bloody holiday even _starts?_" he whined, though his face showed an expression akin to excitement.

Hermione looked up at him, bewilderment on her face. Then it clicked. "Oh! Of course! You're celebrations in Japan are a lot smaller than this, aren't they?" He nodded, not willing to tell her that, as a matter of fact, he couldn't remember _ever_ celebrating Halloween. Maybe it was just because of his brother's solitary nature, but….

She looked as though she was trying to figure out where to begin. "Halloween's always been a _huge_ thing in England. I've gone Trick or Treating ever since I was a little kid - it's great. And it _is_ overdone in the Wizarding world - but I suppose it begins with traditional witchcraft being highly associated with darkness and spirits - everything like that, you know? So…I guess that the Wizarding Community has just latched onto the holiday as our own, and we tend to go all out for those things that we really care about. Make sense?"

He nodded, and quickly whisked himself away to rejoin his brother.

Three hours later found him enchanting candles for the great hall (both an "_Eternumis_" and a "_Volaticus_" spell were needed to keep them burning and hovering for an indefinite amount of time) alongside his brother, Kurama, and Hiei. Bakura turned up from time to time, toting a line of hovering jack-o-lanterns, and it was rather obvious which ones both he and Ryou had carved. They tended to have angelic, demure expressions on the left and pain twisted features on the right.

They certainly made an impression.

Mokuba sent up his five-hundred-eighty-sixth candle, muscles sore and overused. He looked towards Seto; his brother hardly looked as though he'd been working – in fact, he seemed to be enjoying himself. "Hey, nii-sama. I'm going to the kitchens for a minute, d'you want anything?"

The CEO smiled at his younger brother. "No, I'm fine. Go back to the tower and take a rest, if you need it."

"Kurama? Hiei? You two need anything?"

Hiei blinked at him slowly, and Kurama shook his head. "No, we're alright too. Don't worry yourself."

"Then I might just take you up on that offer of rest, nii-sama. See you later!"

He made a quick round through the kitchens, collecting a goblet of some unknown substance and a pack of pocky, then made a beeline for his brother's room. "Alright, big brother, let's get that letter of yours answered."

Mokuba knew that if left to his own devices, Seto would do what he always did with crazy fan mail - ignore it. In his opinion, it was a pure _miracle_ the letter had yet to be thrown away. So the younger Kaiba brother had spent the last few weeks researching various ways of counterfeiting another person's handwriting - specifically his brother's.

He'd gotten the spell down - now he just needed to make it sound like his brother – Malik was sure to remember who he was and what his personality was like. Six drafts later left him with a brief, pointed note.

* * *

_Malik Ishtar, _

Though still skeptical of both your motives and your authenticity, I accept  
the invitation of a meeting between our parties.

Know, however, that if you make any attempts at threats towards either my  
company or I, I will not hesitate to crush you.

Seto Kaiba, CEO of Kaiba Corp.

* * *

Mokuba reviewed his letter while heading towards the Owlery. _Really,_ he reflected,_ its better that I kept it short and to the point. It's what nii-sama would have done, at least. _

_Now if I can only find an owl that goes trans-continental - Malik's probably still in Egypt.  
_  
"Mokuba, want to help me for a minute?"

The younger Kaiba brother was shocked out of his train of thought and back into reality. Looking around, he saw Ryou carefully placing the last batch of pumpkins along the corridor. "I - oh! Hi Bakura," he looked around a little guiltily. "I've gotta get to the Owlery, but I'll be back in a sec', okay?"

The white haired boy looked up. "What are you mailing?"

Mokuba froze. One could almost see the cogs in his head working on overtime. "Oh, um, it's just a letter..that..Yugi gave me for the guys back home. He's still outside with Hagrid, but he wanted it mailed A-S-A-P, and I ran into him on a break, so I volunteered."

Ryou smiled. "Oh. Would you mind taking this one for my Dad, then, as well?" He drew an envelope out of his pocket. "I realized last night that I had yet to tell him where I was." Mokuba could have sworn he heard Ryou mutter, "_Not that he'll have noticed._"

"Of course! Give it here, and I'll take it up."

Ryou swore he'd never seen Mokuba run so fast in his whole life.

* * *

Looking around the sandy tunnels that surrounded him, Malik sighed and took a brief break from translating the tablets in front of him. _It _figures _I'd end up back in the same place I've always been trying to escape...  
_  
His sister, Isis, had been kind enough to take him back after the Battle City Escapade, and he'd been working for her since. However, most of _that_ work entailed the excavating of tombs that reminded him all too much of his first home. 

Which really hadn't been all that bad - his childhood had been rather pleasant, excluding, of course, a dozen or so horrific events which he had firmly blocked from his memory.

So, no - it _hadn't_ been all that bad – it had been _good,_ actually – at least until the Rod had started acting up. He'd kept it after Battle City, of course, because with Yugi and Atemu's help the Rod had been a key tool in keeping his alter ego in check - with the condition that he could _never_ use it. He'd been warned that at this point, it would backfire on him and possibly trap him in the Shadow Realm if he so much as tried.

_And like hell I want to be trapped there…this thing could be the death of me yet._

But the Rod worked its best magic while near him, so he'd kept it in its usual place at his hip.

But just a few weeks ago, his normally inactive item had taken up the audacity to 'zap' him in the middle of an excavation. It had burned his hand when he'd reached to grab it, and _kept_ burning even after he'd let go. He'd fainted (though he retained with a sense of utmost dignity that he'd _blacked out_, thank you very much) from the excruciating pain, only to wake up the next morning, a picture of the Rod branded onto the undersides of his eyelids. He'd also had the unsettling feeling of _wrongness _and, quite faintly,_ disgust _emanating from the item whenever he'd approached it from that point forward.

Unable to reach a solution, he'd gone to Isis for advice - something that he'd debated with himself over, sitting outside her chamber door, for nearly an hour.

She'd sprung into action, of course, at the first mention that he needed help. He'd been only too glad of this – he didn't know _what_ he would have done had she taken the occasion to rub it in his face. They'd written the letter together, seeking aid or counsel of the recipient of the letter.

Not that Malik had any idea as to how that was supposed to help. But he did as his sister told him, nonetheless.

But three days passed, and even Isis had seemed at a loss as to what to _do_ with the letter. She'd taken it to her chambers, poring over books of every shape, size, and age, looking for a ritual that would allow it to find help. Finally, at her wit's end, she'd simply demanded that Malik hand her the Rod. Putting two slender fingers to her own Tauk, she'd tapped the letter three times, eyes closed.

Malik had watched in pure and utter amazement as the letter folded itself, slipped into a nearby envelope, and flew out the window. He'd nearly scoffed, but had (in an unprecedented show of maturity) held his peace.

At this moment in time, he was exceedingly glad he hadn't said anything. The letter had returned, not only with a response (which was odd enough, seeing as it was carried by a large, snowy white _owl_), but with a response from _Seto Kaiba_.

Now he was _completely_ sure the Rod was wanting for a new owner. Kaiba, whether he admitted it or not, was the reincarnation of Seth. He'd seen the tablets. Hell, they'd _all _seen the tablets; and yet, Kaiba continued to doubt.

Malik had problems recognizing how a person as intelligent as Kaiba could look proof square in the face and still refuse to acknowledge it's existence.

But he'd composed a letter all the same, saying he'd meet Kaiba at the KaibaCorp headquarters whenever the CEO had a bit of freetime. Since the owl (smart bird that it was) had chosen to stick around, he'd been able to send his response with the same owl, presumably back to Japan.

Malik decided not to dwell on that thought, instead beginning a plan that could just allow him to get away from the tablets long enough to grab a bit of lunch from the nearby marketplace. If he got the motorcycle to go fast enough before Isis actually saw him, she probably wouldn't follow.

_Or, at least I hope she won't – I don't think I've ever seen a woman_ more _frightening than sis when she's in a temper._

The door slammed open.

Malik twitched ever so slightly as he watched half a dozen black-robed figures stride into the room. He wasn't impressed, for all the talent that it took to slam a door open rather than shut.

"Who are you, and what gives you the right to interrupt my work?" he said coldly in his Native Arabic, eyeing each of the figures in turn. He fancied one of them flinched under his gaze.

The center of the figures removed his hood, revealing a pale face with nearly paler hair. Long and golden, it stood as a distinct mockery of Malik's own. Malik began to wonder, amidst all the overdone dramatics of the group, whether the man even _spoke_ Arabic, let alone understood what he had just said.

His questions were laid to rest as the man responded in the same language. "We," he said, arm sweeping behind him, "Are the servants of the most feared and revered 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named'." The man took a step forward, white teeth glinting in the lamplight. "We have a proposition from our master. Accept, and you may rule the world alongside him."

Malik came close to laughing. _I've already tried that once, you ignorant buffoon,_ he thought, _and if it didn't work then, it's certainly not going to work now._ "Please inform your master that I have no interest in such a plan," he responded in the same cool and collected voice. _Now all I have to wait for are the death threats, and I'll be well within the law of Egypt to destroy them all._

Sure enough, they came. The blonde man frowned. "If you will not comply to his demands, he shall kill you. I ask again; will _you join us?"_

_Bring it on._ "No; and I doubt your master has that much power, my friends. Now please, leave me in peace with my work," he said, turning towards the tablets yet again and fingering a blade in the pocket next to the Rod.

"Then we shall kill you."

_That's what I thought._ He heard a flurry of movement behind him, and whipped around, throwing two blades into the men nearest him. They both hit their mark, the bodies hitting the floor with a queer, echoing thump. He'd missed the leader, it seemed, which disappointed him.

It seemed, he realized as he surveyed the men around him, that they intended to fight him hand to hand, without weapons.

A foolhardy idea if he'd ever heard one. Malik refused to put himself under any such restraints, especially when outnumbered.

He stood on the axis of their half circle, every one of them pointing towards him, arms outstretched. With...sticks? _Why the hell are they aiming at me with sticks?_

_What the hell are they_ thinking

The blonde man sneered, ignoring his fallen henchmen. He reached deeply into the folds of his robes. "I am required to ask you three times, fool. _Will you join our master?_"

Malik looked at them stonily, frantically grabbing for more knives in his pockets. "No."

Three identical beams of green light shot at him – and if Malik had learned one thing from his life, it came down to 'Dodge whatever malicious people shoot at you.'

So he dodged – and managed to lodge his three daggers in three throats at the same time.

Just as the fourth jet of light came towards him, hitting him full in the chest. He was dead before he so much as hit the ground, though a contented smirk stayed firmly on his face.

The blonde man, still unharmed, pulled a silver glove over his hand, grabbing the Rod with the adept fingers of a long-time thief. He vanished with a slight 'pop', just as Isis opened the door, toting a tray of food for her brother.

The tray crashed to the floor as her screams rang through the caves, and the bits of glass added themselves to the grotesque picture, the food and wine mixing with the robed mens' blood, an eerily green skull-and-snake emblem hovering above the entire grotesque scene.

* * *

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PS: May I just say that I really, really apologize for sucking at death scenes? I'm sorry.

Thank you to…..

**DarkDaisy**, **AnitaTheShadowQueen**, **Rosedark**, **Crazy Hyper Lady**, **KamiKaze no Kage**, **Dreaming of Everything**, **PenPusherM**, **Akira Tosiyama**, **yllom21**, **Latin 101**, **Chelley Angel**, **Starlet36**, **Setoglomper**, **ComputerFreak101**, **Kenmeishouri**, and **Dreammistress Jade**.


	24. Betrayal

**A quick recap….**

Thieves battling thieves, a promise of an experimentation between Hiei and Kurama, Draco Malfoy under control of another's influences, and Mokuba, between turning into a Gary-Sue and being up to his usual snarkiness, manages to lose his temper in front of the Golden Trio. Goodness gracious me, where else but fanfiction would you find such turmoil?

**But wait! There's more!** Halloween approaches, and the exchange of letters between a certain CEO (or, more specifically, his younger brother) and Malik Ishtar result in a fatal turn of the tides – Malik, though we grieve and mourn for the sadistic blonde, dies with a smirk of triumph on his face.

The fangirls weep.

And yet, as the world tends to do in such a seemingly inappropriate manner, three days have passed.

All Hallow's Eve is upon us.

And, as always, I do not own that of which I type. Write. Whatever.

* * *

_**Betrayal**_

* * *

The entire Gryffindor Boys Dormitory woke up early on Halloween morning, eager and excited to get the day's classes over with in anticipation to the feast that evening. Mokuba found himself caught in an uncharacteristic rush for the showers, yelping as Seamus and Dean nearly ran him over.

"Sorry, Mok-accino!"

Mokuba rolled his eyes at his newest nick-name. Never, ever in his life had he ever expected to be related to a coffee product, of all things. His new friends had been trying to find a way to shorten his name for the last month, and finally, on one overly-caffeinated morning, Seamus had stared from his coffee cup to Mokuba and back again before blurting out, "Mochaccino! _Mok_-accino! _That's_ your new name!"

It had, unfortunately, stuck.

The swarm of Gryffindor boys met up with Hermione and a few others in the Common Room no less than half an hour later, armed with the first load of the day's sugar. As they reached the Great Hall, even the Slytherins were sharing in the contagious glee of the day.

"Really," drawled Draco Malfoy across the Hall, "I've yet to figure out why the School Board doesn't just give us the day off." He gestured with a Sugar Quill, sweeping across the expanse of students. "It's not as if this lot'll get anything done today."

Ron grimaced at Draco's proclamation. "For once, I have to agree with the git." Several people whipped their heads in his direction, looking as if the sky had come crashing down around them. His ears quickly turned a brilliant shade of red. "Er – I – Oh, come on! You think even _McGonagall_ can control us today?" He snorted. "As if."

Mokuba smiled and took his place at the table, taking his usual cursory search of the Professors table for his brother. Just as he had determined his brother might be having a bit of a lie-in (And, hence, Hell had frozen over), a door opened towards the left end of the table just as he looked up and his brother stalked in, an almost tangible cloud of darkness and doom lingering above his head.

Mokuba smirked to himself. _Somebody's in trouble…_, he said to himself in a sing-song voice.

To his surprise, the elder Kaiba did not sit down in his now usual place (that now included a large, steaming mug of coffee charmed to stay ever-warm), but stalked straight to poor Yugi, grabbing the smaller teacher by his cloak collar, and dragged him out the same door. A few professors looked as if they were going to intervene, but a smile and a look of blatant disinterest from Dumbledore restrained them.

_I think I'd better follow….._ Mokuba looked back to the table, only to see Dean and Seamus encouraging Ron on an exploration of just how far one could shove a straw up one's nose. He tapped Harry's shoulder. "I'll be back in a few minutes. See you in Charms, alright?"

Harry nodded, and Mokuba made his escape through the still swinging door, much to the amusement of Dumbledore who nodded to him as he passed. He quickly found the room Yugi and his brother now occupied, and molded himself to the wall next to the door, unseen by both parties.

"Kaiba, honestly, I didn't _do_ anything! I wouldn't've owled Malik – not after you told me you didn't want me to!" Mokuba could almost feel Yugi's eyes blaze up through the door. "Don't you think I'm more trustworthy than that?"

_Ouch._ "And if it _wasn't _you, Mouto, who was it? That fool, Dumbledore? Or perhaps the owl wrote it all by _itself_." The younger Kaiba could imagine his brother's eyebrows shooting through his hairline. "_Do you think I'm **that** ignorant?_"

Yugi's voice came out just a hair below exasperation, and he chose to ignore the question. "Well, did you tell anyone else about this?"

Seto paused and drew in a breath, his (As long ago deemed by Mokuba himself) InstantTroubleForMokubaRadar (ITFMR for short) going into effect.

_I'm in trouble._

"Mokuba Kaiba!"

He winced and stepped slowly into view. "Yes, nii-sama?"

The power of his brother's jagged blue eyes, so very rarely aimed at him, came towards the raven-haired boy in daggers. "_What did you do?_"

So much for being the cute, innocent, irresistible little brother.

Mokuba took a deep breath, sidling his way towards Yugi. A faithful friend was always welcome when facing down his brother's wrath. "I…may have owled Malik a response." His brother's eyes flashed again, dangerously, and the elder Kaiba took a menacing step forward. Mokuba thought fast. "But, really, Seto, he would have just kept mailing you if you didn't respond, and I made it _quite_ clear to him that you didn't hold with this magic stuff, that you didn't even believe him, really. Just….that you were in a mood to humor someone, and see if it came out to your benefit. And it _could _come out to your benefit, nii-sama, really, I swear!" Seto blinked and looked at him in a disbelieving manner. Mokuba bit his lip. "Alright, fine, I'm not sure _how_ it would, exactly, but it _could._"

"He's right, Kaiba-kun," said Yugi, his voice coming from somewhere behind and to the right of Mokuba. "I mean, you know as well as I do that Malik, if nothing else, is certainly determined. He'd've kept after you until he got a response."

Seto began to look less menacing and more as if someone had shoved a lemon taped to a brick down his throat. "Fine. That's….true, I suppose." He rounded back to Mokuba. "But you, Mokuba, have to swear to me that you will never, _ever _answer for me again. Got it?" His fingers twitched slightly. "_Especially_ to that no-good bastard Malik."

Mokuba nodded slowly, drawing his crossed fingers up behind his back. "Promise, nii-sama."

"No contacting him as yourself, either, alright?"

"….Promise."

"And," continued Seto, his gaze expanding to include Yugi as well, "You will _not_ force me to contact him. _Ever._ I have _no_ wish to address him, and I'd rather you respect that." Seto spat out the words with the ferocity that had won him title after title.

Yugi jumped forward immediately, both Mokuba and he verbalizing their thoughts at the same time.

"Now, see here Kaiba –"

"Nii-sama, that's not fair and you know it –"

Suddenly, they both stopped, frozen by the newly revived look of hatred on Seto's face, though it was not directed at them.

It was directed at the doorway. Or, rather, the person standing in its frame. Atemu took control of his host's body, leaving Yugi to float harmlessly in an astral form.

"You'll not have to worry about _that,_ Kaiba," Bakura spat out from the darkness. "Though I dare say you'll be able to blackmail our _dear _Pharaoh for the rest of his unnatural _life._" His hands trembled, clutched around a thick piece of parchment. Throwing it towards Atemu, he sneered as the Pharaoh fumbled in catching it. "This came for you during breakfast, _my liege,_" he said sarcastically, sweeping into a mocking bow.

Standing straight again, he managed to lock eyes with all three of them at once. "I've read it. I know _everything_, you bastards. And I'd just like you all to know that I hold each and every one of you responsible." He clutched the doorframe as if it were a life-support. "He's _dead,_ Pharaoh. Strike _two._" (1)

He strode away, cloak whipping around him, an aura of utmost fury surrounding his form.

Mokuba watched Atemu's shaking hands unfold the parchment. "Atemu? What does it say?"

Atemu looked up, eyes widened with distress. "It's….it's from Isis. Malik was attacked….probably just as he sent your return letter, Kaiba. The Rod's gone….and Malik is…dead."

The look on Atemu's face was enough to convince Mokuba that this wasn't someone's idea of a cruel joke. Mokuba ran to his brother, finding comfort in a familiar stature as Yugi's astral tears seeped through the yellowed page.

* * *

Ryou, from the depths of his soulroom, cried out to his other self. /_Bakura! Bakura, what are you doing? You can't leave!_/

A derisive snort filtered itself through the mindlink.

/_Alright, maybe you can, but _**I**_ can't! These people need us, 'Kura, can't you see that? And since wherever you go, I go…_/ He threw a figurine picked randomly from the shelves of his soulroom at the opposite wall. /_Why are you _doing_ this?_/

Suddenly, he was shoved out of the comforts of his mind and into the room provided for them during their stay at the school. He shuddered – he'd never get used to being able to see the fine woodwork of the room through his very hand.

/_I am doing this, omote, because I am sick and tired of playing lapdog to the Pharaoh._/ Lightning flashed in his eyes, and he regarded his other half calmly. /_Don't you feel the least bit betrayed?_/

"Of course I do, Bakura, but that's hardly reason to just up and leave! I told you, we're _needed_ here!"

Another derisive snort, and several trinket-like items were thrown into a backpack. "The Almighty Son of Ra," intoned Bakura in a contemptuous voice, "_Has_ never, and more importantly, _will_ never need me."

Ryou floated down to rest on the bed next to the backpack that was still being crammed with objects. "Bakura, please stay? You don't even know where you're going!"

A slow smirk spread across the Thief King's face, though he looked a bit less confident. "That, ahou, is where you are wrong. I know _exactly_ where I'm going." He swung the backpack over his shoulders and headed towards the door. "I'm going _away_ from here."

Ryou sighed and retreated to the Ring with an accompanying flash of light. /_Right behind you, 'Kura-kun._/

/_Don't call me that._/

/_….Did you at least grab an extra cloak? Money? Anything of value?_/

The elder spirit laughed. /_Cloak, yes. Money, no. You, my little light, will soon be living the life of a thief. With, I might add, the best of any imaginable teachers._/

Ryou's pouting tone came through Bakura's end of the link. /_I hate you._/

/_I'm sure you do._/

* * *

"What do you mean, he's _left?_ We can _leave?_ **Willingly?**" Yusuke narrowly avoided slamming his fist into the beautifully carved desk in front of him. "That's completely unfair."

"If you'd bothered listening to him, Detective, I'm sure you would have figured that out." The vertically challenged demon sat calmly in a nearby armchair. "You may also have deduced exactly why we're here."

"Professor Hiei, not all of us possess you level of brilliant intuition," said Dumbledore pleasantly. "I myself am rather poor in that area of expertise. However, the situation still stands. A certain Professor Bakura has chosen to leave the school, and, Professor Urameshi, we are in dire need of a replacement for his position."

Hiei smirked. Yusuke blinked.

"You _can't_ expect me to teach Divination, can you?" Yusuke looked rather bewildered. "I don't know anything about it! Kicking a guy's ass, sure, that I can do. But I've _heard_ kids talking about this class, and let me tell you right now, tea leaves and crystal balls just aren't my thing!"

Dumbledore smiled an infuriatingly untelling smile. "No, Mr. Urameshi, I do not. However, seeing as your class currently possesses two perfectly capable teachers, I _was_ hoping that _one_ of you might consent to take over the class. Would you be interested, Professor Hiei?"

Hiei's lip curled into a half smile that spoke of soon-to-be terrified wizarding children. "I would."

"Thank you," replied Dumbledore. "Now, to the next order of business." He swung open the door to his office with a flick of his wand, allowing Botan to stumble in. She had obviously been leaning up against the door in an eavesdropping position, and her face was graced with a small blush. Atemu, Seto, and Kurama followed in a more sedate pattern. All four took seats in front of the imposing oak desk, refusing offers of lemon drops before they could even be made.

"I have called each of you here today for the simple fact that you seem to have been Mr. Ryou Bakura's closest confidants. I was informed by Professor Mouto that one of his dearest friends," Dumbledore watched as Seto choked back a surge of laughter, "Had been murdered in what **_I_** would deduce to be a Death Eater attack." Dumbledore paused, looking to each of them in grave seriousness. "If the attack was launched by Voldemort's followers, I would say it is safe to assume he will be coming after those Mister Ishtar has known and trusted. It is also safe to assume that Mr. Bakura may be in danger from them."

Atemu fingered the collar of his cloak. "We need to find him immediately."

Seto let out a derisive noise. "Why? If the idiot wants to go and get himself killed – or, better yet, caught by this pathetic English Ministry, that's his business. I, for one, am not about to interfere. Besides," he drawled, "Isn't Bakura your own personal little enemy? I thought you hated him."

Atemu's eyes narrowed to catlike slits. "_Ryou_," he said, stressing the word, "Is not my enemy. In fact, I feel rather responsible for him. I'm not about to let him be killed in the middle of London – not when he has no _idea_ what he's even up against!"

Botan frowned. "But….didn't he tell us this was his hometown?"

Yusuke nodded. "So he'll know his way around, at least. And may I point out that none of _us_ are from around here." He looked Dumbledore in the eye. "We don't know our way around here, whereas _he_ will. _You,_" in which he obviously meant the society of wizards the Japanese group now lived in, "Don't know how he thinks. We're both handicapped."

An uncomfortable silence stretched across the group, Dumbledore toying with a silver trinket on his desk. Kurama finally broke the intolerable quiet, standing up quickly.

"Then it's up to me, I suppose." Hiei scowled at Kurama as he made for the exit and looked as though he might protest what he _knew_ was coming next. "It'll take a thief to catch a thief, _especially_ in his own homeland." He smiled and waved in an almost jolly manner as he reached the door. "See you all….later, I hope."

The door clicked shut, and Yusuke let out a sudden moan.

"Who're we gonna get to cover _Herbology?_"

* * *

(1): Strike one? That would be Kuru Eruna, Bakura's hometown that was destroyed for the making of the Millennium Items. It was actually Atemu's father that did the damage, but Bakura wasn't exactly privy to that knowledge – and by the time he did run across it, he didn't believe a word of it.

* * *

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	25. The PenDragon

Do you know what I had to do to get this chapter out? I had to be sick! Sick, and completely ready to burn my AP European History textbook. Not that it hasn't been that way all quarter long, but still.

I apologize, in ultimate humility, for not getting this thing off the ground sooner. I realized it had been way too long when I couldn't actually remember what I'd written and had to go reread it all!

The horribleness. You have no idea how much I apologize.

Ryou: _/Speech/ _

Bakura: _/Speech/_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh, Yu Yu Hakusho, or the esteemed Mr. Potter's universe. If I did….well, I'd be riding a multi-million dollar Friesian stallion, not my precious little Percheron gelding.

...I think I prefer not owning them, actually!

Ah – and kudos to the person who had the idea of putting the songs, "My Little Pony" and "Barbie Girl" to Fruits Basketin an AMV. My enjoyment is boundless.

* * *

**_The PenDragon_**

* * *

The PenDragon. 

Restaurant of the élite, it had resided in the high class, pureblood-proud street of Atlantica for nearly four hundred years. Reservations had to be made _years_ in advance (and all too often were) unless, of course, you were belonging to one of the fifteen Great Families.

The oldest pureblood families in England, fifteen in number, possessed permanently reserved tables in an upper level; they had deemed themselves too important to dine with commoners long before the PenDragon had opened, and immediately seized the opportunity to flaunt their superior birth and their wealth – for the PenDragon was not for those without multiple Gringotts vaults, when a bottle of wine alone cost one the same as a small guesthouse.

Never mind that at least three of the fifteen Great Families had been wiped out in various wars – their tables remained well-cleaned, well furnished, with the house crest burned directly into it's massive chairs, because in the Wizarding World, one could never be entirely sure that a bloodline was gone. People who were supposed to be dead had a nasty habit of turning up for one reason or another.

It was at one such table that Bakura now sat, smiling faintly at the man who had contacted him upon leaving a certainBorgin and Burkesshop, his hikari's pockets laden with magical objects as a sort of test-run on the local security systems.

He had not been impressed. He'd been toying with the idea of making a run to Gringotts to see if the lore involving dragons and large treasure troves was true, when a snake-tipped cane had interrupted his progress.

"_I see you have a certain talent, young sir."_

_Bakura had snorted. "If you wish to call it that."_

"_I would be most interested in your services, Mr.….?"_

_A smile. "Call me Touzoku."_

The man had introduced himself as Lucius Malfoy (Bakura had immediately drew the parallels of family resemblance between him and Draco, both in looks and attitude). He'd taken Bakura to the most lavish restaurant in sight, and immediately bypassed a hoard of people waiting outside, only to be bowed to by the waiter and immediately ushered upstairs.

Bakura had learned two things. One, that the man felt a dire need to impress him; and two, that he tipped very well, judging from the greedy looks on the waiters' faces.

Both worked well in his favor.

"A proposition, then, Mr. Touzoku. I am in need of each and every one of these," he drawled, and pulled out a glass orb, "that currently reside within the Ministry of Magic."

Milky white, and possessing a faint opal sheen, the orb actually levitated a good 3 centimeters above Lucius Malfoy's hand. One could occasionally see figures swirling in the mist, though one could not tell if they were dancing or dying.

/_It looks like…. like a mini crystal ball,_ / breathed Ryou at the back of his mind.

Bakura's mouth twitched. /_Let's find out._ / "Though I normally have a no-questions-asked policy, Mr. Malfoy, I am curious. Precisely what does your," he sneered, "_Crystal ball_ do?"

Malfoy looked slightly taken aback, and Bakura got the feeling that he had either missed something fundamentally obvious, or Malfoy simply wasn't used to his 'underlings' asking questions. He hoped for the latter.

"To paraphrase my master…. these orbs will reveal the truth of a person's destiny."

Ryou almost inwardly rolled his eyes before catching himself. /_Looks like I was right, 'Kura. But you think they'd have figured out by now that basing world conquest on prophecies isn't exactly the way to go._ /

/_Don't complain – they're the ones giving us the job._ /

/_You can't be serious. We're not taking_ **this!** _We are _**not** _breaking into government security!_ /

Ryou was met with an evil mental grin. /_Wanna bet?_ / "Mr. Malfoy, I shall accept your request, providing the fees are adequate, of course."

Lucius grinned with something akin to perverse glee, dropping an almost comically large bag on the table. "Of course."

/_Whoa._ /

/_Damn straight, 'Whoa'._ / Bakura snickered._ /Welcome to a thief's life, Ryou._ /

/_That…. that…. that could buy half the shops in this street!_ /

Bakura grinned, relishing the feeling of his hikari's greed. Though he didn't show it outwardly, Ryou was as driven by wealth as anyone Bakura had ever met – though the Thief King assumed Ryou had to have inherited something of his nature, being his lighter half.

Malfoy gave him a curt nod and strode away, robes billowing in a poetically dramatic fashion, just as Bakura started, twitching as he sensed one of the many presences he was wont to meet at this moment in time. Resigning himself to his fate, he stayed where he was and toyed with a spoon.

"You can come out now, Kurama."

A snort from the rafters above his head. "I daresay I can. What do you mean by running off on us like that?" Kurama dropped neatly down into the seat Lucius had previously occupied, appearing in a long, gentlemanly coat that made him look almost entirely too British.

Bakura blatantly refused to answer the other thief's question, and Ryou remained suspiciously silent inside him as well. "And what do _you_ mean by deserting the rest of the fools at that school?" he shot out in a mocking manner. "Surely your expertise is missed?"

Kurama reached for the bag that Malfoy had slammed on the table – it was surprisingly light for such a load, but then, Kurama couldn't see Lucius burdening himself with anything that might be heavy enough to affect his posture. Bakura's eyes narrowed, but he made no move to retrieve the bag. "If you're not expected to answer that question, then neither am I." He grinned, eyes lingering on the bag in his hands. "Quite a haul, isn't it? Prepayment, I suppose?"

Bakura's eyebrows shot up. No rebuttal, no scolding, no 'Thou shalt come back now or I'll kick your ass'? "It is…," he replied cautiously, then laughed. "Do you want on the job or something?"

"I might," returned the fox confidently. "In fact, I think I will, if you'll have me." As if a better opportunity would present itself in order to keep an eye on his fellow thief, especially when he was so set against going back? Kurama could prophesize _without _the use of magic exactly what would happen if Atemu and Bakura were kept in the same building while their tempers still ran hot, so why not keep him in hand, away from the other?

Bakura glared at him suspiciously. "You're kidding me."

"No, not really. I'd like to get away from that school as much as you would, actually." He flicked at a fly on the table viciously. "Children are….not my forte."

Bakura let out a barking laugh, wondering exactly what had been in that wine that Malfoy had treated him to that was making him so agreeable. "Agreed!" He motioned to the bag on Kurama's side of the table. "We'll split the profits, fifty-fifty."

Kurama stuck out his hand. "Agreed."

* * *

Hiei had agreed to watch over Bakura's classes while he was missing, and had quite thoroughly enjoyed coming up with new tales to explain his disappearance to each new class. With the help of the experienced gossipers of the school, rumors ran rampant by dinner. 

"Maybe Voldemort got him!" _Unoriginal_, Hiei thought.

"Professor Hiei said a dragon ate him!" _Did I? Yes, third period._ Though it had been meant as more of a flippant response than an actual excuse. Who knew human children were so gullible?

"No, he said he was eaten when he tried to conjure a demon!" _Ah._ That one he remembered. The fourth years had been horrified.

"I heard Professor Moto pushed him off a balcony!" Hiei heard Atemu snicker beside him, and mutter, "_If only…._"

"I heard the Giant Squid got him!"

"I heard," said one particularly cruel Slytherin girl, "that he was having an…. '_Illicit Love Affair_' with the Squid, actually." The Jagan master decided he didn't want to know _how_ that would work.

An owl landed in front of him, though it was smart enough to avoid any of Hiei's edibles. _Odd,_ thought Hiei, _It's far after morning post – I thought these things were trained to not come until then._ He reached for the scroll attached to its leg, immediately recognizing Kurama's flowery script.

* * *

_Hiei,_

_I've found Bakura – though we may be staying here a while, as we've run into a few difficulties. Please alert the others._

_Kurama_

_PS: Remember our agreement? Go ahead with it – I simply want to know the outcome._

* * *

Hiei did remember – and he planned to start planning the fight between Hermione and Draco as soon as possible, now that he knew Kurama didn't particularly mind not watching directly. He ran a finger discreetly over the bottom of the letter, burning off the bottom half (and hence, the last line), before handing it to Botan. He'd happily leave her to puzzle over Kurama's lack of details, for as long as his comrade wasn't in direct danger, he didn't particularly care. 

He headed to Yusuke's end of the High Table, tapping him lightly on the back of the shoulder. The Spirit Detective turned around, noodle still poking from the edge of his mouth. Not allowing himself to be disgusted with human mannerisms, he took the conveniently empty chair next to him.

"I think it's time we start on Practicals."

* * *

Hiei had made especially sure that for this class, he had a free period from Divination – had he not, he would have simply brought the Divination class down to the Dueling Arena and made them sweat by asking the kids to predict outcomes of fights. 

The few that were there early stood uneasily, unnerved by the silence he created – Yusuke had yet to show up, though Hiei had always laughed at the fact that Urameshi, of all people, put them at ease. If provoked, the Spirit Detective had a great deal more power than any of them, and, though he would rather die than admit it, more power than Hiei himself.

He watched them file into the stands, and quickly intercepted Hermione as she walked through the door, early as usual. "Ms. Granger, I'll need you to wait down on the left side of the ring, please."

Her face went partially white and her lips thinned, but she nodded, dug for her wand and walked calmly to her post as Harry and Ron traded worried looks and moved to follow her. Hiei sighed and stopped them. "_Not_ you two. Maybe later. Wait in the normal seats, please."

Ron looked as though he might actually attack him, but wisely refrained as Harry whispered, "It's just a class – she's not going to actually get hurt, Ron." The Weasely boy looked less than convinced, but moved to a normal seat, though it was as close to the left side of the ring as he and Harry could possibly get. The Jagan master saw Hermione shoot them a thankful smile in return.

Yusuke appeared seconds later, skidding through the door just as the bell rang. Predictably, the class automatically relaxed. "Alright, guys! Guess what?" He grinned and went to the front of the room, just before the Dueling Arena to better address them. "Because Hiei's and evil little bastard and thinks you guys need more practice, we're have a set of Practicals today!"

Hiei barely refrained himself from rolling his eyes. Leave it to Yusuke to put the blame on someone else.

"We drew names from a hat earlier today, and one of our contenders is already here – the beautiful Ms. Granger!" He waved as Malfoy strode through the doorway, completely collected although he was late. "And here's our second competitor now! Mr. Malfoy, if you could go to the right side of the ring, please, we'll get this thing underway!"

Ron and Harry immediately jumped up from their seats in a chorused, "No!" before Hermione shot them a glare that sent them both back to their chairs.

Draco, meanwhile, had not moved from the entrance, his body stiff and his fists clenched. Hiei shot a look at him. "_Today_, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco opened his mouth slightly, obviously unsure of something. Crabbe and Goyle, behind him in the doorways, sent worried looks at their fellow Slytherin.

Yusuke looked at him oddly. "Malfoy?"

He'd now attracted the looks of every Gryffindor and Slytherin in the class. "I….I….," his face hardened, "No! I can't!"

To the surprise of every person in the room, he pushed his way past a stunned Crabbe and Goyle, and ran out the open doorway. A deafening babble broke out, drowning out the sounds of his shoes on the marble corridor outside.

Yusuke cocked his head. "Well, that was weird."

Hiei just shook his head at the stupidity that surrounded him, and ran to follow the missing boy.

* * *

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